600 displaced, one injured as Christmas fire ravages Dunoon
Peter Luhanga
The acrid smell of smoke filled the air as Baithuti Shasha, his legs amputated above the knee, began a harrowing crawl for survival. A devastating fire had engulfed the Ekuphumuleni informal settlement where he lived, spreading to the neighbouring New Rest settlement.
The blaze, which broke out on Christmas Day, injured one person, razed 300 homes to the ground, and left 600 people, including mothers, young children, and the disabled, destitute and homeless in Dunoon township near Milnerton, Cape Town.
When the fire came within ten shacks of Shasha’s home, his father, along with friends, kicked the door open and carried his wheelchair to safety. At the same moment, Shasha’s girlfriend, Yonela Mkala, hoisted him onto her back. She navigated through chaotic, debris-strewn passages filled with panicked residents fleeing for their lives. But exhaustion soon overcame her forcing her to set him down. Shasha, undeterred, clawed his way through the mayhem to safety, his stumps bloodied by the effort.
When we arrived early in the morning, five City firefighting engines were lined up, refilling water from a hydrant near the Dunoon municipal library. The fire, which started at 1:10 am on Christmas Day, began in the Ekuphumuleni informal settlement, behind the municipal hall, and rapidly spread around the hall to the New Rest informal settlement.
Shasha says he was renting a two-room shack for R1100 a month, sharing it with his girlfriend and her two children from a previous relationship, aged 11 and 12. When the fire broke out, the children were visiting family in the Eastern Cape for the holidays, leaving just Shasha and his girlfriend at home.
He says his father lived in a settlement far from his, but when he heard the screams and learned about the fire, he and his friends rushed to his son’s shack. They kicked the door open, and his girlfriend quickly lifted him onto her back, while his father grabbed his wheelchair and bolted for safety.
Along the way, shack passages were blocked by people fleeing, some carrying their belongings, while piles of stuff cluttered the narrow paths. Tired, Mkala eventually dropped him, and at that point, he began crawling, using his hands and stumps to navigate. He made his way toward the municipal hall, a route he knows well from his daily trips to relieve himself, since the informal settlement’s bucket toilets aren’t wheelchair accessible.
“I carried him on my back, and when I got tired, I put him down. I am dating him. I love him. He could have burnt in the shack, and I could not let that happen,” says Mkala.
“We are lucky to be alive. Our Christmas is a disaster. What will we celebrate? We bought a combo for R400 for the traditional Christmas meal, but it all burnt, along with all our belongings,” she said.
Shasha says he’s thankful to have made it to 25 December 2024, despite the tough circumstances.
“My shack is in the middle of other shacks, and the access roads are not suitable for a disabled person using a wheelchair. I come every day to relieve myself at the municipal community hall because the toilets are wheelchair accessible, while the communal bucket toilets are not,” he says.
He says asking for a government-sponsored RDP house feels like a long shot, but he’d be grateful if someone could offer him a shack in a safe part of the township that’s wheelchair accessible.
He also says his children, aged ten and 13, live with his family in the rural Eastern Cape.
Community leader in the Ekuphumuleni informal settlement, Zanele Nkohla, was seen writing down the names of those affected by the fire. Her own three-room shack, along with five others she had built and rented out to earn an income, was destroyed in the blaze. Like many others, she lost everything.
She was sharing her three-room shack with her three children, aged 12, 17, and 23.
“I don’t want to talk about Christmas. It’s like I just have to cry!” says Nkohla.
Sinethemba Matomela, chairperson of the South African Civic Organisation (SANCO) Dunoon branch, says the fire ruined Christmas plans for the affected residents.
Matomela says Ekuphumuleni informal settlement is made up of double-storey shacks, with residents expanding their homes into multiple rooms for extra income. When the fire broke out, it spread rapidly, making it hard to control, especially as it reached the higher floors.
He says it’s heartbreaking to think that the disaster struck on Christmas Day, and many residents who had gone on holiday to the Eastern Cape will only learn of the tragedy through family and neighbours. When they return, they will find their homes destroyed.
Matomela praises the firefighters for risking their lives to battle the blaze, noting that the wind and narrow roads made their task even more difficult. Despite these challenges, they managed to extinguish the fire and prevent any fatalities.
“We need to change our mindset as a community. When we rebuild, we should stop building so close together—this could help avoid future disasters,” he says.
He says that when residents tried to help fight the fire with buckets of water, the taps were dry, as there is no water pressure in the area.
“The City must help us,” says Matomela.
Disaster Management spokesperson Sonica Lategan said on Thursday, 26 December, that officials were still finalising assessments in the affected area. Current estimates suggest about 300 structures were affected, with approximately 600 people displaced and one person injured.
Lategan said three churches in Dunoon, along with the SANCO offices, had opened their halls to accommodate some of the displaced residents. She added that the National Department of Human Settlements was also on-site to assess potential assistance.
“Assessments indicate that electrical infrastructure, toilets, and water taps were damaged. City services have been notified and will begin repairs and restoration of these critical services, as well as mop-up operations in the area,” said Lategan.
She stated humanitarian relief partner, Gift of the Givers, responded on Wednesday to provide hot meals, baby packs, hygiene kits, food parcels, and blankets.
“This festive season is typically a time for families and friends to come together for a braai,” said Lategan.
She urged residents to be cautious when making open fires, particularly during windy conditions.
