Sounding the alarm on shack fire losses
25 Jan 2021 A tech solution to fires in informal settlements comes with insurance that pays out the victims of these blazes
More than 1 100 homes were destroyed in the fire that raged through Masiphumelele informal settlement near Fish Hoek in Cape Town last month. The devastating blaze displaced 5 000 people. The fire was only one of the 177 to hit informal settlements in the city last year.
But the Cape Town blazes are only an indication of a much larger problem. According to the most recent countrywide statistics from the Fire Protection Association of Southern Africa (FPASA), there were 5 283 shack fires during the 2016-17 municipal reporting year. Households lost almost R180-million as a result of these fires.
Western Cape Human Settlements on supporting informal settlements
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The Western Cape Department of Human Settlements’ Informal Settlement Support Programme (ISSP) is fully committed to assisting informal settlements across the province, so that the living conditions of residents in these areas can improve drastically.
The ISSP prioritises health, safety and dignity.