Local business BUCO has stepped up to donate building materials to the families who lost their homes during the shack fires that broke out two weeks ago in Nompumelelo.
About 50 homes were destroyed, leaving nearly 100 people homeless.
The fire broke out while people were at work, with no-one there to try stop it from spreading.
One of the affected residents said they had been left with no choice but to use what was left of their burnt homes to construct makeshift shelters.
Responding to the desperate families’ plight, BUCO has donated R80,000-R100,000 worth of sheeting to help them rebuild their homes.
BUCO’s Brenda Zeelie said the company wanted to build a sense of community in Beacon Bay through assisting and building ties with Nompumelelo residents.
Zeelie said: “A huge amount of local businesses benefit from regular support from residents and consumers, and in times of need, businesses should assist as much as consumers support us.
“We were made aware of the tragedy that occurred in Nompumelelo and we hope this donation will ease the burden and provide relief from the strain of having to rebuild homes from scratch.”
She encouraged other businesses to support with other relief measures such as providing food, bedding and clothing.
One resident whose home was destroyed said he was extremely grateful to BUCO for the donation.
“We have children and babies and we need to protect them.
“We lost everything including food and clothes,” he said.
“We are appreciative to BUCO for their donation and we hope the municipality learns from this because most community members in Nompumelelo have been promised formal houses since before 2010.
“Shack fires will continue to happen the longer we are forced to wait on the list for housing.
“Every year we are told we will be allocated a house and yet this does not happen. Thank you to businesses like BUCO for stepping in to provide support.”
