Firefighters assessing the damage caused by the devastating fire Photo: Reuters/ Siphiwe Sibeko/ Business Live
Johannesburg – In a heart-wrenching incident that unfolded during the early hours of the morning, the city of Johannesburg was plunged into sorrow once again. This time, tragedy took the form of a raging fire that engulfed a five-story building located in the Marshalltown district, unleashing a wave of devastation. According to the most recent updates, a staggering 73 lives have been tragically lost in this devastating blaze with the youngest being just 18 months old.
The building itself is a heritage site. During the Apartheid era, it was called the Central Pass Office, where the dompas were issued. According to Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) spokesperson, Robert Mulaudzi, the inside of the building is now like an informal settlement. With partitions and structures all over the place.
“It is a picture of an informal settlement inside the building. The materials that are burning inside the buildings are mostly the ones you find in a normal shack. That is the situation. The risk of you being trapped while you are trying to move away is very much high because of the structures they erected there,” he said speaking to Power 98.7
According to EMS, the building is a hijacked building. The cause of the fire is not yet known but it is believed to have started on the ground floor and worked its way up.
City of Joburg’s Council Speaker, Colleen Makhubele, visited the site. Speaking with journalists, she hinted that the fire might have been preventable had the city’s initiatives to address the unlawful occupancy of buildings not been hindered by Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) and Civil Society Organizations.
“We are saddened by what has happened. We have been talking about the illegal buildings and how to deal with them. It is just unfortunate that this has happened. We really mourn the loss of life and send condolences to the family but it is important that all sectors of society work with us when we want to evict people … I am sure you saw MMC Kenny Kunene was dealing with the issue. He got a lot of backlash and he was taken to court for dealing with the unsafe, hijacked city that is noncompliant.”
City of Johannesburg’s Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Safety and Security, Dr. Mgcini Tshwaku, described it as “a bad scene” which has left him “traumatised”. One of the reasons for the high death toll is the materials that were used to build the ‘shacks’ in the building and that the gates leading to outside were locked.
“The main reason here for the high total is a lot of partitions and the gates in between. People could not get out. Many burnt bodies were found actually stacked against the gate on the bottom floor. People built using high flammable materials, your wood and those things,” he explained to Newzroom Afrika.
Tshwaku’s main concerns now are getting accommodation for the survivors and has called on all civil society organisations for their support. He expressed deep concern regarding the nearby hijacked buildings, fearing that they pose a constant risk of igniting into flames at any given moment.
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What it is like at the scene of the fire
While firefighters were busy combing each floor during their search and rescue mission, citizens tried to gather to see the devastation. One of them being Thabo who described how it felt to be in the area of the building.
“When I got there it was sad. You could feel the sadness, the death and all that in the air. We weren’t close to it because you know the police put up their tapes but we could see the smoke coming from the building and it was very sad. There were people on the sidewalk crying, they had blankets around them. One person was telling me that a lady lost her child.”
On social media, people are debating who to blame for this tragic incident that has claimed the lives of so many. For Thabo, the responsibility lies solely on the government for what has happened.
“It is heartbreaking to see. For me I blame the government for what has happened. I think it’s wrong to blame those who have passed away for what has happened. I’ve seen the things that people are saying online about foreigners and even heard it but when you see these mothers and children just waiting for their loved ones, crying and calling out for them, you realise that we are all human at the end of the day. We don’t know what brought these people here and we don’t even know if they are good or bad.”
Thabo expressed dissatisfaction at the government’s failure to evict people from buildings that are clearly not safe for people to be in. However, speaking to Newzroom Afrika, Johannesburg Transport MMC Kenny Kunene blames the South African law which he believes protects criminality.
“The biggest challenge for us, as the city, when we try to respond to this is the law. The law of South Africa protects criminality. The property laws of South Africa protect criminals that hijack buildings … When you try to take them out [the hijackers] they call the police and say this person rented us the house and now they want to evict us. The police say you have to go to court to evict them. Once you say a building has been hijacked, a crime has been committed. The problem is the law. The law says before you take them out, you have to find a place for them even if they are illegal in the country.”
Lack of housing in Johannesburg
Speaking to Salaamedia, Faizel Patel, Multi-Award-Winning Journalist, pointed out that this tragedy speaks to the lack of housing available in Johannesburg. While MMCs and various high ranking politicians will visit the area to give hope to those who have been impacted, the housing crisis will still continue.
“What about the accommodation? What happens after that? Where will they put them because there is no accommodation available for these unfortunate residents.
President Cyril Ramaphosa who was addressing the opening of the expanded SA Police Service Forensic Science Biology Laboratory in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape sent his condolences to the families of the people killed in the fire. Police have opened an inquest docket to investigate the cause of the fire.
