Portable toilets found after fire
2013-03-17 22:42
Johannesburg - Portable toilets thought to have been stolen at Kayamandi informal settlement have been found, says the Stellenbosch municipality.
"We can gladly report that all the missing toilets were found in between other shacks in the area," said the mayor, Conrad Sidego, on Sunday.
The municipality provided the portable toilets on Friday after a fire ripped through the informal settlement leaving about 3 000 people homeless.
Earlier Sidego told the Weekend Argus that looters had made off with portable toilets meant for the homeless.
He told the newspaper that 30 such toilets had been made available on Friday, but that only five remained by Saturday.
He called on locals to show responsibility, adding that the municipality was "not in the business of fostering a victim mentality".
Two people were killed when the fire raged through the township.
The municipality said 1 357 shacks were destroyed by the fire and 4 500 people were displaced.
"The victims of the fire will need to be registered. This process concludes this afternoon [Sunday] and this information will be verified thereafter against the municipality's housings data, prepaid meter data and through the crises committee."
The verification process was expected to produce a final victim list which will in turn activate other social services including the reissuing of IDs and social grant access cards.
Displaced people have been provided with food.
"Specific attention is given to babies, children, people with disabilities and the elderly in the municipality's relief efforts. 250 food packs were specifically purchased for babies."
Schools uniforms were also being purchased for school going children affected by the fire.
- SAPA
