A huge fire exploded in a five-story apartment in Johannesburg, resulting sadly in the death of more than 70 people. This catastrophe is one of the deadliest fire incidents in the city’s history. The flames raged on for over half a day, leaving the city-owned building smoldering with bodies tragically covered in blankets near the scene. What remained was a scorched shell, making it impossible for officials to identify who lived there.
One theory floating around is that some rooms may have been illegally used by criminal gangs. This disaster brings attention to Johannesburg’s ongoing issues with poverty, frequent household fires, and homelessness.
At first, Johannesburg authorities thought that the casualties were squatters living in the building. However, Lebogang Isaac Maile, who heads the Human Settlements department in Gauteng province, said some residents might have been paying rent or even being forced to cough up cash by these gangs. Turns out, the situation might be more complex than initially thought.
Kabelo Gwamanda, the mayor of the city, revealed that the municipality had initially rented out a building to a charity for homeless women, but it was exploited for unrelated activities. Those details are still under wraps. The building, preserved as a heritage site, symbolises the apartheid past of South Africa – it’s where black Africans fetched their “dompas” or work passes to labor in parts of the city owned by whites.
Johannesburg unfortunately holds the title as one of the world’s most unequal cities. It’s plagued by poverty, unemployment, and a housing crisis that’s left about 15k people without homes. It’s common to hear about fires breaking out in households, especially in poverty-stricken areas like Alexandra township, a locale that’s seen its fair share of fires in recent years.
On top of that, the city regularly experiences power outages which forces many residents to resort to using candles and wood fires for light. We’re still awaiting the update on what caused the latest fire, meanwhile it continues to shine a light on the nasty housing situation in the region which has left nearly 1.2 million folks in desperate need of a roof over their heads.
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