The City of Johannesburg has disclosed that the building involved in the fire incident in the Johannesburg CBD yesterday is among the 188 structures currently under investigation for non-compliance with the city’s bylaws.
The blaze resulted in two fatalities, over 150 displaced individuals, and multiple injuries. The fire was allegedly started by a woman who sprayed paraffin on her boyfriend’s shack following an argument. The suspect has been apprehended.
City spokesperson Nthatisi Modingone revealed that the majority of the building’s residents are foreign nationals, primarily from Lesotho. The City is collaborating with the Department of Home Affairs to verify the legal status of these individuals.
Modingone says, “We want to establish if they are here legally and so forth so that we deal with those processes properly.”
Another hijacked building in the Joburg CBD was gutted by fire:
