The City of Cape Town announced last month that it would no longer supply emergency kits, which included building material, to victims of fires and flooding.
About 30 families in Overcome informal settlement near Vrygrond, Cape Town, have been sleeping outside for nearly two weeks after a fire destroyed their shacks on 6 January. The residents, most of whom are unemployed, say they have no money to buy material to rebuild their homes. The City of Cape Town announced last month that it would no longer supply emergency kits, which included building material, to victims of fires and flooding. The City will now only assist victims of incidents which have been formally declared a disaster. On Tuesday, about five of the 30 families managed to rebuild with used material they collected since the blaze. The settlement, established in 2001, has no electricity and many people use gas for cooking.
