The fire at the Usindiso building in the Johannesburg CBD has been described as one of the worst tragedies to have hit Gauteng’s economic hub. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
Although civil society has largely lauded the findings of the Khampepe Commission of Inquiry that the City of Joburg is liable for the fire tragedy and that the Joburg Property Company (JPC) owner must be held to account, some of the surviving victims say there was a still long way to go.
The almost eight-month inquiry into the devastating Usindiso building fire that led to the deaths of 77 people released the first part of the report by commission chair and retired judge Sisi Khampepe.
She said the city allowed the violation of public health bylaws, building regulations and all other steps that would have mitigated the impact of the fire had they been compliant.
Cikizwa Rigala, who lives at the Denver settlement where some of the Usindiso fire victims were relocated, blamed the City of Joburg.
“The matter has become clear that it is the city that has failed us,” she said.
“They knew that people were living in the building and they were supposed to alert us or at least take care of the building because that at least [could] have somehow prevented how it happened. We occupied the building out of desperation.”
Another fire survivor, Andile Mzimela, who lived on the third floor since 2021, said she welcomed plans to demolish the building as it still bears the trauma of the tragic night.
She, however, said she was not pleased that the report did not touch on their current living conditions.
“The reports left out the critical issue of our living conditions where they have deserted us in harsh conditions,” she said.
“This is very disappointing and that is why we are appealing to the government for compensation. The Denver settlement has been flooded on several occasions since December.
ALSO READ: Usindiso: City of Joburg’s GFIS should shoulder responsibility for tragedy
“We live near illegal mining where we are subjected to sounds of gunshots every night and are often threatened.”
The damning report underscores that the city violated its own bylaws and recommended the city conduct an internal inquiry to determine who was responsible for neglecting their duties which contributed to the devastating fire.
According to the city, it has estimated that more than 224 buildings have been hijacked.
Meanwhile, the Marshalltown Fire Justice Campaign also welcomed the release of the Usindiso commission’s report.
They said they believed the matter was worthy of ensuring criminal prosecution, not just the individual who started the fire, but also against city officials.
ALSO READ: City of Johannesburg and JPC should be held liable for Usindiso deaths – inquiry lawyers
General Alfred Moyo, coordinator of the Marshalltown fire justice campaign, said: “The manner of this tragedy was exacerbated by the failure of the city’s departments in fulfilling their obligations and their own bylaws and that is why we believe demanding accountability is just one part of it. But officials must face criminal prosecution.
“The report agrees with us that this was indeed a disaster but according to the city, it was just an incident, which is what caused the lack of necessary support that was required to deal with the situation in terms of the allocation of the necessary resources.”
The report of the second phase of the inquiry is expected at the end of August.
The report will deal with the hijacking and abandonment of buildings and the housing crisis in the city centre.
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.
