Fire in the inner city of Joburg destroys multiple shacks that were built inside the abandoned building.
Joburg Emergency Medical Services (EMS) confirmed that they responded to a fire at an abandoned building on Hans and John Page Street in Jeppestown on the afternoon of Saturday, 19 October.
According to EMS spokesman Robert Mulaudzi, no injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
“The fire affected about 15 shacks. At this point, no injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire will be investigated.”
This recent fire in the inner city occurred as the city embarked on the second phase of the Commission of Inquiry into the Marshalltown fire, which claimed the lives of 77 people, injured 60 more, and left several homeless.
This phase of the inquiry aims to make findings and report on buildings in Joburg that have been abandoned by legitimate landlords or owners and have since been taken over by criminal syndicates or other groups, leased out, and populated with tenants.
Recently, several abandoned buildings came into the spotlight during the commission, including a privately owned building on 37 Garden Street in Turfontein, which was inspected on 19 September.
According to the commission, the five-unit building, which was abandoned and taken over, houses five families in the five units.
“Occupants approached the official responsible for the housing portfolio in the ward to permit them to occupy the building. They indicated that criminal activities had previously taken place in the building,” the report read.
Furthermore, the report revealed that nine months after the occupation, a man came and claimed the building as his own and wanted to evict the occupants.
When the occupants refused to be evicted, an altercation occurred.
The ‘man’ resorted to threats, and subsequently, one of the occupants was killed at the building by an inkabi, the report revealed.
This building joins many others within the city that the commission revealed to be either structurally unstable, dilapidated, lacking water, having inconsistent electricity supply, or lacking fire safety equipment, thus violating emergency-service by-laws.
