Residents of Stjwetla Informal settlement sit on a ticking time bomb
ALEXANDRA – 'If it wasn't for our hardworking technicians who quickly responded by switching off power supply engines we would have to tell a different story.'
The City of Johannesburg’s power utility City Power has suggested that residents of Stjwetla informal settlement whose shacks were destroyed by fire be relocated to another place.
This was after the utility’s preliminary investigation pointed at the brazier that was used in one of the shacks built under the pylon.
According to City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena, it will be irresponsible and putting lives of residents in danger if they (the residents) were to be allowed to rebuild their shacks. He said the damage was estimated at between R3 to R5 million.
Mangena explained, “We are grateful that no one was hurt during this incident. These people were sitting on a ticking bomb if it wasn’t for our hardworking technicians who quickly responded by switching off power supply engines we would have to tell a different story.
“Initial reports suggested that the fire was started when a City Power pylon collapsed on the shacks. However, witnesses and our preliminary investigation suggest otherwise, including that the pylons fell during the fire which started earlier in one shack.”
He said the power supply in surrounding areas was affected but the utility’s technicians were able to restore it by midnight. “City Power technicians worked throughout the night to restore power in areas, including those in the east of Johannesburg affected by the fire yesterday on our infrastructure at Stjwetla informal settlement in Alexandra.”
Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Council for the City of Joburg Vasco da Gama, who visited the area of the incident, said the council will wait until the reports from all departments involved are presented before the council.
Related article:
More than 50 shacks destroyed after live high-voltage pylon collapses in Alex
Relief efforts continue for families affected by fire in Alex’s Setswetla Informal Settlement
