Hundreds of Sjwetla informal settlement residents in Alexandra had to stay out of work on Wednesday to try and pick up the parts of their burnt homes after a fire destroyed more than 100 shacks in the area on Tuesday
Clean-up operations were under way from as early as 06:00 as residents tried to collect corrugated iron and other materials that were not badly burnt. "Everything is burnt. Everything from the house is burnt. My R2 000 which I had in the house is also burnt," a devastated resident, Idia Manuel, told News24.They weren't able to save anything from the blaze.Another resident, Anthon Mhlanga, said he was at work when he received a call telling him that his shack was on fire. He rushed home to try and save his belongings but it was already too late.
"I came back in a hurry and found the fire blazing. There was nothing I could do here because it was blazing. All the homes are burnt; beds; all of my things," said Mhlanga.