CAPE TOWN – The Barcelona informal settlement ward councillor, Bongani Ngcombolo, said he’s written a letter to the Minister of Human Settlements Mmamoloko Kubayi.
This after a fire destroyed over 100 informal settlement structures on last week Tuesday, leaving over 30 families displaced.
Ngcombolo said it had become a common occurrence that fire victims were left to find their means to rebuild their structures after a fire rips through their shacks.
In the past, the City of Cape Town distanced itself from the responsibility to supply fire victims with fire kits.
The city said the national government collapsed the initiative to assist those affected by fire with rebuilding materials due to budget cuts.
“Even if the national [department] takes away the grant we have got budget, the city’s got it on budget, billions of rands which are used on other things which are building these infrastructure in affluent areas. So I’m saying it is the City of Cape Town’s failure because these informal settlements are dependent on the City of Cape Town because they are in the boundaries of the City of Cape Town,” said the Barcelona ward councillor.
Eyewitness News has reached out to the city of Cape Town and is still waiting for a response.