This documentary is going to give the viewer a closer look at the problem of shack fires for people living in shacks in an around South Africa, especially in the settlement of Khayelitsha.Information obtained from interviews at plastic view in Pretoria shack dwellers and others. To explore the causes and effects of fires alongside social and physiological impacts of fire as well as municipal responses to fires. We close the documentary with the demands of the shack dwellers.
The story will be told in the following way
In chronological order
By narration
Through interviews
By added photos
By reality footage and recordings of the shacks when they are blazing in fire flames
1 dramatic opening sequence
Visual
Shots from the point of view of aftermath of a fire that gutted an informal settlement of khayelitsha, showing facial expressions of people in pain and sadness after they lost their possessions others trying to rebuild their shacks.
Voice-over
This is Khayelitsha situated in Cape Town, faced with many cases of shack fires over the past years, where people have lost their hard earned possessions due to fires and cases where some even lost their lives. Problem is that it does not matter who started the fire but it affects you if you are nearby and can face the wrath of the fires that can results dreadful and leads to tears of many.
Visual
Changes of visuals as they transition to an Arial shot by a drone of the Arial view of the over 250 shacks caught fire burned to the ground in khayelitsha Cape Town, showing people displaced
Voice-over
Shacks to many impoverished people it is their only treasure to them because it is what they call home. Shack settlements are a poor people’s solution to a lack of affordable housing, especially in cities. Shack settlements are close-knit communities of people who are trying to make a better life for themselves despite years of neglect and hostility from politicians.
When fires happen in the shacks, they are bad because the shacks are so close to each other. Municipalities refuse to allow shack settlements to expand, so people build houses where they want. Often people build very close together so that other people can have a space to build their shacks.
Fires happen a lot in the shacks because shacks burn easily. If a paraffin stove explodes in a shack, people inside may have a difficulty to escape. Shacks burn easily because they are made of wood, plastic, zinc and cardboard since they are close to each other.
Visual
Transition shot from shacks to families standing in a ground hoping to rebuild after devastating fire.
Visual
Presenter standing next to a car
Presenter- Asking someone from department of housing and human settlement, the causes of fire in the sharks and the minister responded saying that, in most cases it is either paraffin stove or candles. Fires are the biggest problem in the informal dwelling at Langa Cape Town.
Visual
Presenter walking to the nearby block of shacks that also caught fire
Voice-over
People use candles and paraffin because of lack of services from the government. Paraffin is also a danger to health, many shack dwellers say that paraffin fumes cause chest problems and it is also danger to children. And the main reason why the area is faced with so many cases of shack fires.
Visual
Presenter in a passenger’s sit as they pass a block of shacks burned to the ground by the fire there is still a smoke in the area, as its still windy and cold. They move through the sad scenes of the fire, trauma written in the faces of the victims.
Voice over
In 2006, 141 people died in shack fires, nearly 60% of all deaths in fires. In eThekwini in 2007,30 of the 62 people that died in fires were in shacks, between 2001 and 2005 and a total of 1003 people died in shack fires in South Africa’s five largest cities. This is an average of 200 deaths a year in these cities alone.
Visual
Presenter-In a car interviewing with one of the victims and survivors of the blazing fire. Passing disaster management vehicles, ambulances and fire extinguishers to provide emergency services to the affected parties.
Voice-over
Presenter- Interviewing Sam Mdluli about the horrific incident and how he survived it.
Interview
I manage to escape the fire, I was burned severely and treated for almost six months in hospital. I was cooking with gas stove and the stove exploded and flames caught the bed linen. I manage to escape from the house while my mother was trying to stop the fire.
Homelessness and destitution
I was seriously affected because I only managed to come out of the house with ID, Coat and two trousers and a blanket. I suffered a lot by that time and it is better now because they provided us with tents during that time. It takes time to rebuild and to gather materials and I used to sleep at the crèche by that time.
Visuals
Massive blaze and smell of fire in the area of khayelitsha, people clearing the area after the horrific fire broke out.
Voice over
Thousands of people are made homeless every year after shack fires. For many of them it will not be the first time and this can add more stress to community members as they are forced to stay with friends.
CONCLUSION
Visual
Presenter next to the ashes of the burned sharks
Presenter – The statistics show that the number fires in South Africa keep on rising each and every year. Is the government doing enough to stop the sharks fire? This is the question everyone is asking. The community members of Khayelitsha have serious expectation of answers from minister Housing and Human Settlement to be considerate of their horrific shark burnings.
RK CHOCHI 215598764
P MANDELA 217034426
P CHILOANE 216645413
TP SEBANYONI 215638863
SP SELEPE 215790789
