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Changing communities through tech

In 2018 4000 people were displaced when a fire ravaged through an informal settlement in Khayalitsha, Cape Town. Tragically this is a common occurrence throughout townships in South Africa, often leading to loss of life.

Lack of access to water and narrow paths between shacks delay rescue team access to affected areas allowing fires to spread fast from home to home.

Mzuvukile Monco is an entrepreneur who through his desire to use various low and high technology devices aims to prevent shack fires and other problems that affect his community.

Mzuvukile Monco

With an N5 Certificate in Electrical Engineering, I set up my own radio station, called Radio Khaltsha, broadcasting to Khayelitsha which has a regular following of about 1000 listeners. The community’s positive response and interaction with my content gave me the confidence to explore other ways of reaching out and helping my community.

Continuous fires that ravage the informal settlement leading to displaced community members and loss of life set me to explore various ways to prevent or slow down the spread of fires from shack to shack.

Through work as an artisan with Eskom I saved up to buy battery operated smoke detectors that will signal the start of a fire. This will alert both the home owner and neighbours of the potential danger, giving them time to escape to safety and alert rescue services.