ANC Mourns The Death Of Durban Fire Tragedy
By Novell Zwangendaba – The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal said it is deeply saddened by the death of two people in the fire that broke out at Kennedy Road Informal Settlement in Durban yesterday.
A massive fire at Durban’s Kennedy Road informal settlement has claimed the lives of two people and has left more than 2 000 others homeless.
It is alleged that the cause of the fire was a paraffin primus stove which burst into flames and the shacks caught fire.
“The ANC commends the Ethekwini Fire Department that was on the scene within minutes to fight the blaze. We would like to convey our heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased.” the provincial spokesperson of the party Makhosi Khoza, said today.
The blaze broke out in the early morning hours after a candle was apparently left unattended on Saturday night.
More than 300 shacks were gutted. eThekwini Fire’s Alfred Newman said it took about two hours to douse the flames.
He said getting to the informal homes had posed a problem for his team.
“Firemen had to run long distances to try and prevent the fire from spreading. The terrain was difficult; it was muddy, slippery and the banks were quite steep.”
Yacoob Baig, the area’s councillor, said the fire was among the biggest ever seen in the area.
Disaster Management’s attending to the families called for more assistance.
“We would like to appeal to the public as well as NGO’s for any form of assistance to assist these homeless people, especially with the provision of clothing, blankets, food stuff and whatever other assistance they could render.”
