KZN accelerates housing after Jika Joe fire leaves hundreds homeless
Updated Aug. 10, 2026, 1:44 p.m. | By Newswatch and Simphiwe Gumede Disaster teams and organisations including Gift of the Givers are assessing the needs of…
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Updated Aug. 10, 2026, 1:44 p.m. | By Newswatch and Simphiwe Gumede
Disaster teams and organisations including Gift of the Givers are assessing the needs of affected residents, with hundreds already profiled.
As KZN residents experience freezing cold temperatures, authorities say they're accelerating the construction of houses for hundreds of shack dwellers displaced by a fire in Maritzburg.
A blaze at the Jika Joe informal settlement on Saturday night destroyed around 700 shacks.
Disaster management teams say they're working with various organisations, including Gift of the Givers, to assess the needs of residents affected by the fire.
KZN Human Settlement says women were impacted the most.
It's revealed at least 400 out of 500 residents have been profiled so far.
Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane is scheduled to visit KZN this week and is expected to receive a report on the disaster.
The minister will be accompanied by the executive director for UN-Habitat.
It follows a deadly fire on the same day in Umlazi’s H Section, where one person died.
As the cold front continues, authorities have warned residents against the use of open fires, warning they remain hazardous to human life.
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