Fourteen years in squalor for forgotten fire victims in Shaka’s Head
Forty families were relocated after fires destroyed their homes in 2011 and they say promises for assistance have been broken.
More than a decade after a fire destroyed their homes, 40 Shaka’s Head families are still living in crumbling tin shacks with little municipal support.
The group were relocated to land adjoining Shaka’s Head alongside the R102 and given tin houses by the KwaDukuza municipality (KDM). Residents claim that municipal staff told them this would be a temporary measure and allege that nothing further was done to improve the situation until the Courier reported on the issue in 2015.
In the wake of the article, KDM provided electricity to the group and Tamsyn Ferreira from Alifurn Outdoor Living fundraised for a container toilet and standpipe to help with sanitation, which were installed by community volunteers.
Despite being assured that their cases were a priority however, residents say the municipality has been mum on improvements ever since.
“Before, KDM would check on us whenever it rained. But I cannot even remember the last time they came,” said a resident who asked not to be named.
“No one has spoken to us in years. Our tin houses are falling apart, and in some, water leaks inside.”
The donated toilet block is also now in complete disrepair and has been made worse by the extra pressure placed on it by 15 more families relocated to the area following another fire in 2023.
KwaDukuza municipality did not respond to a request for comment.
Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news.
Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here or if you’re on desktop, scan the QR code below.
