JHB building fire a ‘wake-up call’ for government to tackle hijacked buildings, says Ramaphosa

As the sun set in Johannesburg on Thursday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived at the scene where a building fire claimed more than 70 lives. 

Residents in the adjacent building were screaming and cheering for Ramaphosa as he did a walkabout outside the burnt building, which has been sealed off to the public. 

He later briefed the media and waved at residents who started belting out the national anthem.

Addressing the media, Ramaphosa conveyed his condolences to the families of the deceased and extended well-wishes to the injured. He had cancelled a scheduled national address to the visit the scene. 

Ramaphosa said the incident had come with lessons for government but it was unfortunate that these lessons had come with a loss of life.

“We are all responsible for the calamity that has happened. This should have never happened,” Ramaphosa said.

The building where the fire occurred was previously used as a shelter for abused women. According to Ramaphosa, it was hijacked after the lease for the nonprofit organisation had expired. 

The building had since been turned into an informal settlement with shacks constructed inside and tenants paying rent. 

Commenting on the deplorable conditions that the residents lived in, Ramaphosa said: “We need to find effective ways of dealing with housing issues in the inner city. We need to root out the criminal elements of these buildings. 

“Poor people need to live in the city ,but there needs to be law and order,” he added. 

The cause of the deadly fire has not yet been established. 

Ramaphosa said Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi, who was by his side along with several other government officials, was set to establish a team to “get to the bottom” of what led to the fire.

He commended firefighters who were reportedly at the scene 10 minutes after receiving the call. 

“Much as they fought the fire, they were unable to save everyone. We lost up to 74 people, some of them children who must have died tragically. This is the type of death we would never wish on anyone,” Ramaphosa said. 

Explaining the plan of action, Ramaphosa said ministers, provincial officials and city officials were working on securing accommodation, medical assistance and trauma counselling for those who have been affected.