A fire that broke out at the Briardene informal settlement in the early hours of Saturday, August 2, has left more than 50 people stranded after burning down over 25 informal dwellings. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
Community committee member Happiness Mkhwanazi stated that more assistance is urgently needed for the victims. “So far, they have received blankets and mattresses to sleep from disaster management. However, that is still insufficient because there is not enough space to accommodate all of them because the same room that is used for keeping donated food is the same room used to sleep,” she said. Mkhwanazi also noted that some residents who lost their identity documents in the fire were unable to be added to the official list of affected people.
Ward 36 Councillor Heinz De Boer is calling for a comprehensive audit of residents by the Human Settlements Department. He believes it is difficult to plan housing developments without knowing the exact number of people living in the settlement. “Briardene has expanded exponentially over the past few years, and we fear that these kinds of things are going to continue to happen, with illegal electricity connections that will cause more fires,” he said. The councillor added that they are waiting for disaster management to provide building materials so people can rebuild their homes.
De Boer, a Democratic Alliance councillor, commended organisations like the Durban North Lions Club and Gift of the Givers for their assistance. He argued that the incident highlights a larger issue within the city of eThekwini, stating: “We are in serious need of formalisation of this entire informal settlement.”
This fire is the latest in a series of similar incidents. In July, the Durban Metropolitan area experienced two other major fires in informal settlements. A fire in Dakota Informal Settlement in Isiphingo destroyed around 200 structures, leaving approximately 300 people homeless, while another at Kennedy Road destroyed over 80 shacks.
In response to these recurring tragedies, Deputy Mayor Zandile Myeni, in partnership with Astron Energies, recently oversaw the installation of 340 fire detectors at the Isiphingo-based informal settlement. This initiative will be rolled out to other informal settlements as part of the city’s level two disaster management plan, which prioritises proactive risk reduction and community safety.
