More than 300 people displaced in Khayelitsha and Witsands after fire

Cailynn Pretorius
17 October 2025 | 12:15The city said the South African Social Security Agency will be assisting people who need personal documents replaced and Gift of the Givers teams are providing some relief to affected people.
View of the wildfire on Roodeberg mountain, near Capri, on 16 October 2025. Picture: Carlo Petersen/EWN
Damage assessments in Khayelitsha and Witsands have now been done by the City of Cape Town's Disaster Risk Management Centre.
More than 300 people have been left displaced after fires razed homes to the ground.
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The city said the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will be assisting people who need personal documents replaced, and Gift of the Givers teams are providing some relief to affected people.
"In Witsands, 10 informal structures were destroyed by fire, displacing 32 persons. Gift of the Givers is on site to provide soft relief. The fire that occurred in Khayelitsha destroyed 52 structures, with 303 persons affected," said the Disaster Risk Management spokesperson, Charlotte Powell.
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