COUPLE DIES IN FIRE

A COUPLE has died in a tragic fire incident in Khayelitsha’s Monwabisi Park informal settlement.

Nolufefe Mambikimba, 40, and her boyfriend were asleep in their shack when their home caught fire in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

It is not yet clear how the blaze started.

Her heartbroken aunt, Xoliswa Mambikimba said she received the devastating news from her sister, who lived with Nolufefe.

She  said: “I received a call from my sister, who lived with Nolufefe. She informed me of the incident."

Xoliswa described her niece as a lively and kind person, adding: “She was a nice person who loved jokes and was playful.”

Ward 99 councillor Lonwabo Mqina expressed anger at the conditions in Monwabisi Park, blaming underdevelopment and lack of access roads for the tragedy.

Mqina explained: “We are here after the shack caught fire yesterday, and two people have lost their lives. This is a situation that we find in our communities.

"More and more people are subjected to this because of the infrastructure in so far as housing development is concerned and as well as far as access roads are concerned.

“At times, emergency services can't access these areas to extinguish fires because of the roads that are not available for them to access these houses.

"We are shocked that something of this nature still happens in our community - this informal settlement is almost a decade old because Monwabisi Park was established in 1997.

"The City of Cape Town has neglected this area insofar as development is concerned.

"There is seemingly no political will from the government of the day to assist this community, to develop this community.

"When it's summer, it's fires. When it's winter, it's floods. That is the situation that we are faced with.”

According to the City’s Fire and Rescue Service, crews from Khayelitsha and Macassar responded after receiving a call at around 00:30 of informal structures burning on the corner of Steve Biko and Swartklip roads.

Spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said: “Two structures were destroyed and an adult male sustained fatal burn wounds. Further information should be requested from the South African Police Service.”

Initially, the man’s body was discovered first, followed by Nolufefe’s body found in the debris.

Western Cape police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said Harare police had registered an inquest into the incident.

Van Wyk added: “The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation and the cause of the fire is yet to be determined."

Anyone with information about the fire is urged to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or use the MySAPS mobile app anonymously.