BLAZE FORCES FAMILIES TO SLEEP IN CARS

Hundreds of people homeless

- GENEVIEVE SERRA

THEY fled with nothing but the clothing on their backs. Destitute, desperate for shelter they were forced to sleep in their cars and market stalls as they waited for Disaster Risk Management teams to provide materials to assist in rebuilding their lives.

When the devastating fire swept through Tsepe Tsepe Informal Settlement in Khayelitsha on Sunday, 177 structures were destroyed and 377 people were affected. Yesterday, hundreds began to take stock, with several worried that their children would not have uniforms and stationery when schools reopen next week.

For Bukiwe Mkunyna and her three children, surviving the night without a roof over their heads and only the clothes they were wearing, meant finding shelter inside a car.

"I have three children in my home and the fire burnt everything, we have nothing but the clothing on our backs," said Mkunyna, who had attended an assessment meeting with community leaders to determine how many families and children were affected.

"We didn’t have anywhere to sleep, so we had to sleep outside in a car. We didn’t have anywhere else to go. Some people slept at their friends or families homes."