Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

2-minute read
30 December 2023 | 11:51 CAT

Image: The South African

It has been a challenging week in Cape Town, marked by intense fires and law enforcement hurdles. Amidst over a thousand incidents, including notable blazers on Simon’s Town and Glencairn, Gift of the Givers play a crucial role.

The humanitarian aid group responded to 14 incidents of informal settlement fires within the Cape metro in the past three weeks.

It said over 400 fire victims at Hill View informal settlement near Muizenberg and 30 fire victims in Mandela Park informal settlement at Hout Bay were being assisted with essentials.

“When our team arrived at the Hill View informal settlement the next morning, we found that it left 600 people displaced. There was no time for residents to save any of their belongings due to the intensity of the wind spreading the fire rapidly. ” Gift of the Givers spokesperson Ali Sablay told Radio Islam International that people have lost everything.

On the 25 of December, within a few hours, over a thousand people lost their homes from the fire spreading through informal settlements. The Gift of the Givers teams continue to assist four fire sites with humanitarian needs simultaneously.

Meanwhile, The Gift of the Givers has criticised government red tape for standing in the way of NGOs getting funding to help people in need, EWN reports.

Sablay said it has been difficult to penetrate government processes to get funds, particularly over the festive season.

Listen to the full interview on Your World Today with Mufti Yusuf Moosagie.