Soweto house collapse: Collen Mashawana Foundation provides support for grieving family
RESILIENCE
Collen Mashawana at the site where a double storey house collapsed in Doornkop, Soweto on Sunday.
Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
A Soweto family left devastated after their home in Doornkop collapsed earlier this week leading to the deaths of three people including a one-year-old child, are set to get a new home thanks to the Collen Mashawana Foundation.
The double storey house collapsed at the Doornkop informal settlement on Sunday morning. The incident claimed the lives of a 60-year-old woman, a 24-year-old woman and a toddler, all from the same family. Six people were inside the house at the time of the collapse, according to Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (JEMS).
The foundation confirmed that one of its partners will cover the funeral arrangements, while building materials will be donated to help construct a new home for the family, alongside additional forms of support.
The foundation confirmed that its patron, Mashawana, has spearheaded an urgent intervention plan for the family, with full support from the foundation’s stakeholders.
“The family fully qualifies for immediate assistance, and within four weeks, we aim to hand over a structurally sound and fully furnished home,” the foundation said.
The foundation has also provided groceries, blankets, and mattresses to the affected family. Through a partnership with Baroka Funerals, it will also cover burial arrangements and rebuild the family’s home, bringing hope and dignity after such a devastating loss.
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has expressed his condolences to the affected families and those injured in the collapse.
Macpherson has also requested the Council for the Built Environment (CBE) to conduct a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
He explained that the investigation will seek to determine the cause of the collapse, identify any responsible parties and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The incident comes after the collapse of a four-storey building at Redcliffe, Verulam earlier this month. It is understood that an extension under construction at the New Ahobilam Temple of Protection at River Range Ranch collapsed last Friday afternoon while concrete was being poured. Five people died.