Unfair to blame NGOs fighting against forced evictions for Joburg blaze: Seri

Thursday’s fire in the CBD should be a wake-up call for the City of Johannesburg to proactively improve the conditions of buildings it owns and manages, as well as other abandoned buildings, in order to prevent future loss of life. 

The Socio-Economic Rights Institute (Seri) said this on Thursday after the fire in the five-storey building at the corner of Albert and Delvers streets, which claimed the lives of 73 people. 

It said the building, known as Usindiso Shelter for Women and Children, was operating as a shelter for abused women and children until its neglect by the municipality around 2018, resulting in the building falling into disrepair and what the city refers to as its “hijacking”. 

“Unfortunately, the fire at the Usindiso shelter is an example of how the city deals with its shelters, which are occupied by many of Johannesburg’s poorest and most vulnerable residents.   

“The conditions of the shelters and transitional housing need to be urgently improved and people living in them need access to basic services,” Seri said. 

It added that it had never litigated against the municipality in relation to this building. It said its only involvement in the building related to the temporary placement of two of its clients by the municipality following their displacement by a fire in September 2014. 

“However, Seri has consistently tried to engage the city to improve conditions in its shelters, to no avail. To shift the blame to NGOs, as people speaking for the city are currently doing, speaks to the municipality’s unwillingness to take responsibility for the inner city housing crisis.” 

Earlier in the day, Johannesburg's public safety MMC Mgcini Tshwaku blamed Seri for always taking the city to court as the city tried to combat the hijacking of buildings.

Seri said despite these tactics by the municipality, it remained determined to defend the rights of vulnerable people who face illegal evictions at the hands of either the state or private owners with no alternative accommodation.

Meanwhile, ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said the party has long highlighted the dangers that hijacked buildings hold for Johannesburg residents. Mashaba said when he was mayor he spearheaded a project to reclaim these buildings to provide affordable housing. However, he said this was derailed by people with an interest in these buildings.

“We urge the Gauteng province and the City of Johannesburg to provide urgent emergency services to the affected community, including providing alternative accommodation and establishing a mobile clinic close to the scene,” Mashaba said.

“The state should also expedite processes to reclaim these buildings to avoid similar disasters from taking place in the future. The people living in these buildings deserve better than the squalor they have been forced to live in.”

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