Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

27 August 2024

2-minute read

A fire broke out at an abandoned, privately-owned building in Jeppestown in central Johannesburg, causing the death of 4 people and injuring 3 others. According to Johannesburg Mayor, Dada Morero, the fire had an aspect of criminality as groups of people were seen leaving the building with firearms and ammunition.

MMC for the Department of Human Settlements, Cllr. Mlungisi Mabaso, agreed that the fire is a symptom of a bigger problem in the city, indicating that according their EMS personnel, the ‘building was an epicenter of crime’. While City Power is suspecting illegal connections that could have caused the fire, the department is awaiting a full report to determine what exactly transpired at the scene. In the meantime, it is finalizing a report on how to approach and address the issue.

Prior to the incident, the city was and still is in the process of acquiring and expropriating property in order to transform them into residential buildings to prepare them for allocation. This process will be communicated to the public in due course so that they are aware of the Department’s plans for buildings in the inner city. In order to have some form of control within the city, Cllr. Mabaso stated ‘a need to move’ in the form of pressing development, similar to the manner in which other areas like Marshalltown and Maboneng have addressed the issue of deserted buildings and have subsequently made an impact in eradicating criminal activities.

He concluded that the added problem of foreign nationals does contribute to these types of incidents within the inner city.

Listen to the full interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat on Sabahul Muslim.