Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba says buildings that are not compliant with safety standards must be demolished and rebuilt.
This follows a blaze that ripped through the Bank of Lisbon building in the Johannesburg CBD on Wednesday.
Three firefighters died in attempts to extinguish the blaze. The fire has now spread to other floors of the building which housed three Gauteng Departments.
There have been concerns about its failure to adhere to safety regulations.
Mashaba says this fire is not going to be in vain. He says they will do everything possible to work with the provincial government and the national government to take back the city.
“All these buildings that do not meet our safety standards must be knocked down and start all over again. The City of Johannnesburg has put out 84 buildings on tender for private sector to assist us in this regard. If you really look at most of the buildings in the city, it is an accident bound to happen. We cannot let this situation continue,” says Mashaba.
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