Durban – The eThekwini Municipality has said that Dakota informal settlement residents will receive building materials.
The municipality said it continues to fast-track relief efforts for residents of the Dakota informal settlement in Isipingo following a fire on Saturday night that destroyed about 500 structures.
“The distribution of building materials to the families will commence this week as soon as the process of profiling families is complete,” the municipality said.
It said that affected residents are currently housed in marquees erected near Dakota Beach while the site is being cleared. There, the families are provided with meals and clean water.
“The municipality is working with other spheres of government, business as well as humanitarian organisations to provide additional support. Sassa (South African Social Security Agency) and Home Affairs officials are on site assisting with documentation lost in the fire. Health-care and psycho-social services are provided to residents. Learners are being assisted with school uniforms by various stakeholders,” the municipality said.
The municipality said that municipal firefighting teams worked for hours to extinguish the blaze on Saturday night. Despite their efforts being hampered by congestion in the settlement, they managed to save about 50 dwellings. Reports that the teams struggled with fire hydrants not having water are misleading and untrue.
On Sunday, the eThekwini Municipality confirmed that there were no fatalities or injuries reported in the fire that broke out at Dakota Informal Settlement in Isipingo.
It said the City’s firefighters worked through the night to extinguish the blaze and managed to save 50 dwellings.
The municipality said displaced families were being provided with necessities.
It also said the City’s disaster management teams were conducting assessments to determine the nature and extent of further assistance to be provided.
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