Joburg Building Blaze Sparks Call for Action From Cyril Ramaphosa, SA President Demands Law and Order in CBD

• President Cyril Ramaphosahas called for action at the scene of the Johannesburg apartment fire, where 74 people perished
• Ramaphosa emphasised the need to address the housing crisis in the inner city and the problem of hijacked buildings
• The government is working to provide accommodation, trauma counselling, and medical care for the victims of the fire

JOHANNESBURG - President Cyril Ramaphosa called for action in the housing crisis in the inner city of Johannesburg.

President Ramaphosa visited the scene of the devastating fire at a Marshalltown apartment building, where 74 people were consumed by the blaze.

In a video posted on the President's X (Twitter) account, Ramaphosa said the root cause of the devastating fire must be investigated.

Ramaphosa said:

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"It's a wake-up call for us to begin to address the situation of housing in the inner city."

Ramaphosa calls for hijacked buildings to be addressed

Ramaphosa also mentioned that the building, which used to be a home for women and children in need of emergency shelter, was hijacked by alleged criminals.

President Ramaphosa called on the police to clamp down on the practice of hijacking buildings and extorting money from vulnerable residents who stay in the derelict buildings, EWN reported.

The city's authorities are allegedly doing everything they can to ensure that the blaze victims are being taken care of. The president said the government is working around the clock to provide accommodation, trauma counselling and medical care.

SA weighs in on President Ramaphosa's response

Below are some comments:

@wexa11 criticised:

"The president chose his words carefully when talking about the issue of housing in the inner city. You can pick it up that he knows they are failing dismally. JHB is a mess."

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@ckowalsk said:

"Always come to the party after the horse has bolted. Perhaps prevention is better. Go Herman!"

@GMugiyo advised:

"Take a leaf from Egypt on addressing housing-related problems, Mr President Sir."

@logic_mufc questioned:

"What's the plan to sort out hijacked buildings?"

@nosmoke567 complained:

"Marikana, Esidemeni,Jhbfire . One disaster after the next."

Authorities claim the Joburg fire building was an informal settlement

In another story, Briefly News reported that the apartment building engulfed in flames in the Johannesburg Central Business District (CBD) in the early hours of Thursday morning operated like an informal settlement.

Residents at a Marshalltown apartment building were awakened by devastating flames at around 1 am on 31 August.

According to TimesLIVE, Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) and firefighters worked tirelessly to quell the flames and rescue people.

Source: Briefly News