The loss of lives in floods and fires is due to total neglect by authorities

To a casual observer, the cities of Durban and Joburg have been quite unlucky. Durban has suffered debilitating floods in the past two years. Add to that the destructive looting of July 2021.

It is only mirrored by the City of Joburg’s spontaneous gas explosion in July and the deadliest fire in South Africa’s history, which claimed 76 lives. That somehow makes these cities just unlucky, or are they?

ALSO READ: Joburg fire: Government must be charged with culpable homicide for death of 77 – Mashaba

The president, Cyril Ramaphosa, postponed his post-Brics summit family meeting because of the magnitude of the calamity. For the residents of the building that was once an apartheid-era pass law enforcement centre, the 31 August fire was the most random, horrifying and deadly occurrence.

That’s why when the whole government, including the president, descended on them, it was seen as fitting. Commiserations were in order. Fires and floods are natural occurrences. They cannot be stopped or even predicted.

But because they are guaranteed to happen at some point, the best that can be done is to plan around the “what if they happen? What can be done to prevent unnecessary loss of life?” And that is where the “unlucky” tag must be taken out of the equation for Durban and Joburg.

ALSO READ: Panicking Joburg CBD fire victims were ‘squashed against closed gate’

The devastating loss of life in the floods and fires is not due to bad luck. It is due to poor planning and total neglect by the authorities.

From the moment this fire occurred, taking 76 lives, the most common refrain has been “let’s not play the blame game”. Officials and politicians do not want to be blamed, they want to be seen for their virtuous deeds – just because they turned up.

But the best way to make sure this kind of devastation is not allowed to happen again is to do exactly what everyone says must not be done: apportion blame to all the guilty parties.

Blame must be heaped on those who refused to take heed of what Herman Mashaba tried to do when he ran the city: get rid of the scourge of hijacked buildings.

ALSO READ: Families of Joburg fire victims urged to help identify bodies

It does not matter that his motives may have been tainted by a hint of xenophobia. Had he been allowed to complete the project, this would have been prevented.

Why must blame not be put squarely onto the Gauteng department of human settlements? Its MEC, Lebogang Maile, must not only tell the country that his department is in charge, as he’s always quick to remind the province, he must be made to explain why the department continues to fail to clean out hijacked buildings.

It does not matter who the building belongs to; as soon as human beings settle into it, the department must take over. The laws they claim to be hamstrung by were made by them: 30 years is a long time, they’ve had enough time to change them.

Let the nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) that are so quick to litigate against efforts to clean up the city show the faces behind them. Let the people behind the NGOs take their portion of the blame. Let the president take his portion, too.

ALSO READ: Gift of the Givers to provide clothing and food to Joburg fire victims

It helps no-one to successfully explain away Lady R and bask in the glory of hosting a successful Brics summit when less than 15km away, 76 lives were lost to a fire his party could have made sure was not as deadly