GALLERY: Danger on standby?

Residents who were recently relocated from Taylor Road to the Ruimsig Informal Settlement are not happy with the shacks that the City of Johannesburg’s department of housing built for them. Residents say that whenever it rains, they stand on their feet as there are holes in the roof. One man said the shacks were so close to each other that they deprived residents of privacy. “The doors are inserted incorrectly and the flooring is not properly done,” he complained.

The structure of the shacks also poses a huge safety risk, especially in case of fire. Spokesperson for the city’s department of emergency services Robert Mulaudzi said the shacks were built too close to each other. “There should at least be a distance of between five and six metres in between shacks so that in case a fire erupts in one shack, it does not easily spread, catch and destroy the other shacks,”explained Mulaudzi.

Mulaudzi said to check if there is enough distance between shacks, one needs to be able to stretch both hands when standing between them.

During his visit to the settlement, Mulaudzi also educated residents about safety. He advised them to have signage that could be a point of reference when they log calls during an emergency. “At least have a board up that will make it easy for emergency personnel to find your location. That will eliminate delays and ensure that emergency personnel reach you on time,” said Mulaudzi. He also taught residents about the correct use of candles, paraffin stoves and other items that they use in their homes. Mulaudzi told residents to stop using beer or cool drink bottles as candle sticks as he pointed that should the bottle fall it will easily cause a shack to burn down. “The best bottle that can serve as a candle stick is a mayonnaise or peanut butter bottle, half filled with sand. The candle must be cut half and in case it falls, the sand will blow off the candle,” highlighted Mulaudzi.