Recovery from Fire Hazzard in Informal Settlements of the Western Cape Province, South Africa

South Africa has been through a period of evolution from colonialism, to apartheid to democracy and informal settlements have become a major social problem in the post – apartheid South Africa. Fire hazards are becoming prevalent and has had a serious impact mainly on the poor and marginalised. Informal structures are often built close to each other and as a result fires often spread quickly which could result in destruction of the structures, serious injuries and sometimes lead to a possible death. As a result, the consequences can be catastrophic. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore and examine the existing recovery strategies used by ordinary communities and government interventions and how both are combined to assist communities to cope and recover from fire hazards. In order to achieve the above objective, this desktop study relied on secondary data as sources of information. They included the existing reports, available literature, experts and professional’s analysis, communities’ testimonies available online in the form of audios YouTube videos. Television, Radio News, interviews provided rich information to the study. The findings have shown that the impact of fire hazards is devastating are becoming serious threat to safety of informal dwellers. The communities cope and recover from fire hazards. Communities respond as the disaster occurs. Furthermore, the findings showed that while the government has intervened this has become a major issue that requires government intervention.