Polar Park household trapped after devastating 2024 fire

Two years after a fire killed his wife and daughter and destroyed his home, 77-year-old Hluphekile William Siyoko is still living in a degrading temporary structure in Polar Park, Ward 16, with no disaster relief, a broken wheelchair, and nine people depending on his single pension.

The humanitarian crisis was uncovered last week by SACP Ward 16 Candidate Nominee, Lwazikazi Mpange, during a door-to-door campaign in the area.

“We are completely forgotten”
In 2024, a fire ripped through Mr Siyoko’s home in Polar Park. He lost his wife and daughter. He survived with injuries that left him wheelchair-bound.

Today he sleeps on a mattress on the floor of a shack made of zinc and wood. His wheelchair is bent and unsafe.

His household of nine — five adult children and three young grandchildren — has no income besides his Older Persons Grant.

Bureaucracy blocking survival
The family says they cannot move forward because all their identity documents and birth certificates were destroyed in the fire.

Without IDs, the five adult children cannot apply for jobs. Two of the grandchildren cannot access SASSA Child Support Grants.

“We cannot afford the Department of Home Affairs fees to get replacements,” a family member told _Komani News_. “So we are stuck.”

The Department of Health has also not provided Mr Siyoko with a new wheelchair, despite his condition worsening daily due to the broken one he currently uses.

No disaster relief
According to the family, the only assistance received from government since the fire was once-off groceries delivered in 2024.

No housing support, no social worker follow-up, and no help from disaster management structures has come since.

“This family is completely trapped because they lack the institutional weight needed to unlock basic services from Home Affairs, SASSA, and the Department of Health,” said Mpange.

*Calls for urgent intervention*
Mpange said the case highlights how disaster victims without documents fall through the cracks of the state.

Siyoko and his family have agreed to be interviewed at their home in Polar Park to show the conditions they are living in.