Siyabonga Sithole
The disaster which befell the city of Joburg following a fire that engulfed a five-storey building, killing 74 and injuring 55 people, was bound to happen.
This was the sentiment shared by DA shadow MEC for human settlements Mervyn Cirota, who said more and similar incidents would continue to happen if nothing to correct this was done.
In a statement this morning, Cirota said abandoned and hijacked buildings were another disaster waiting to happen.
‘’Abandoned and hijacked buildings are a disaster waiting to happen, putting lives of residents at risk.
‘’The Gauteng Department of Human Settlements and municipalities are failing in their mandate when it comes to keeping track of abandoned and hijacked buildings.’’
This comes as, on Thursday, scores of residents who had taken over the five-storey former women and children shelter were left homeless and destitute after fire engulfed the building in the early hours of the morning.
The cause of the fire remains unknown, and it was reported the building housed no less than 500 people who had erected shacks inside the buildings.
Cirota said this was not the first nor is it the last disaster threatening the Joburg city centre, which, due to lawlessness, had become the epicentre of hijacked buildings.
‘’This was once again highlighted when a fire broke out at an alleged hijacked building in Albert Street, Marshalltown.
"It is believed that this building was hijacked and that a number of people were living in this building,’’ he said.
This humanitarian disaster claimed the lives of at least 74, and at least 40 were reportedly injured.
Emergency services said the injured were taken to Helen Joseph Hospital and other facilities in the city, while those who survived have been accommodated in various shelters.
The MEC says with reports indicating that the city has no less 100 such building, the situation is bound to be a repeat of yesterday’s calamity.
‘’This is a catastrophe waiting to happen, and if nothing is done, more lives will be lost. The reality is that many of these abandoned buildings are controlled by gangs who rent out the space.
‘’This leads to overcrowding. There are no toilets, no electricity and no water,’’ he said.
The party has called for MEC for Human Settlements, Lebogang Maile, along with his counterpart, the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Mzi Khumalo and National Government to urgently do an audit of all abandoned buildings in the province.
‘’Furthermore, the DA is calling for a forensic audit to be conducted, as it is clear that the City of Joburg has failed to clamp down on abandoned buildings being illegally occupied. Measures the need to be put in place urgently to ensure that we do not have another disaster like this one, where a number of lives are lost,’’ he said.