JOHANNESBURG — Nearly three years after the tragic Johannesburg Usindiso building fire crisis exposed the deadly reality of hijacked inner-city properties, survivors are still languishing in dangerous temporary shelters or on the streets. The catastrophic August 31, 2023, blaze, which claimed 76 lives and injured scores of others, prompted a municipal mandate to safely relocate victims—a mandate that residents and advocates say has been largely abandoned by local authorities.
A Damning Commission and Municipal Neglect
In the aftermath of one of modern-day South Africa’s worst fire disasters, the Khampepe Commission of Inquiry was established to investigate the causes and assign responsibility. The commission’s findings were highly critical of the municipality. Investigators concluded that the city bears partial responsibility for the tragedy due to severe neglect of the Usindiso building, which it owned.
Furthermore, the commission found that the municipality failed to enforce its own bylaws. Gazetted in 2014, these regulations provide the city with clear mechanisms to identify, inspect, declare, and intervene in problem properties—including buildings that are dilapidated, abandoned, structurally unsound, or illegally occupied. The inquiry determined that this systemic neglect directly exacerbated the devastating loss of life.
Following the disaster, the city was mandated to provide safer, more suitable temporary emergency accommodation for the survivors. However, displaced residents argue that this promise remains unfulfilled.
Abandoned on the Streets
For many survivors, the aftermath of the fire meant immediate homelessness. Yandisa, a resident spokesperson representing the displaced victims, shared the harrowing reality of those left behind. After losing two relatives in the inferno, Yandisa traveled to the Eastern Cape for their funerals. Upon returning to Johannesburg, he found himself tossed onto the streets with no answers from authorities regarding his relocation.
Yandisa and other survivors describe a deeply flawed relocation process. They allege that the city relocated individuals who never lived in the Usindiso building and were not victims of the fire, while actual residents were left to fend for themselves.
Despite their visible plight, residents claim municipal indifference. “The city of Joburg knows about us. They come here all the time taking pictures, but they’ve never said one word about relocating us,” Yandisa noted. Many survivors cannot return to their regions of origin due to a lack of employment opportunities. They rely on informal hustling in the city to send money back home, making it impossible to afford private rent.
Another survivor, whose stepdaughter tragically perished in the fire, described the grim daily reality of street life: relying on food scraps, using open fires for warmth, and struggling to find safe places to bathe.
Perilous Temporary Accommodation
For the survivors who were relocated, the alternative has proven equally perilous. Residents moved to a temporary emergency informal settlement describe an environment plagued by violence, poor infrastructure, and severe overcrowding. The settlement now houses victims from Usindiso as well as former occupants of other hijacked inner-city buildings.
Safety is the primary concern. Residents report daily shootings and rampant criminal activity, including robberies and violence linked to *zama zamas* (illegal miners). One resident pointed out a bullet hole fired from unit 162 that pierced straight through multiple shacks. Due to the constant threat of gunfire, many families are forced to sleep on the floors of their units.
The violence has taken a heavy toll: eight Usindiso residents have died since moving to the settlement, and three people were shot dead in a single week.
Infrastructure Failures and Hidden Dangers
Beyond the violence, the settlement suffers from severe infrastructural deficits. The area frequently floods due to a lack of drainage systems—a basic necessity that residents argue should have been installed before the shacks were erected.
More alarmingly, community representatives revealed that the settlement was constructed directly over an abandoned mine shaft, bringing the constant threat of ground collapse. “They hid a lot about this place from us,” one resident stated, noting that the dangers of the mine were never disclosed prior to their arrival.
Sanitation and accessibility present further hazards. Although mobile toilets were provided, they are located in isolated areas and are rarely used due to safety fears, particularly for women. Consequently, many residents are forced to use buckets for sanitation. Even basic errands are dangerous; reaching local shops requires crossing an active rail line, where residents report frequent muggings and sexual assaults.
City Silence and an Impending Court Ruling
Despite the severity of the ongoing Johannesburg Usindiso building fire crisis, municipal officials have remained largely silent. Requests for an interview with the City of Joburg regarding the unfulfilled relocation mandate and the conditions of the temporary settlements went unanswered by the time of publication, and no official city spokesperson was made available to address the allegations.
However, a significant legal development is on the horizon. On Monday, August 17, the High Court is finally expected to deliver its ruling regarding the alleged instigator of the 2023 Usindiso fire, bringing a potential close to a high-profile legal case that has stalled for three years.
As the city awaits the court’s decision, the survivors of the Usindiso tragedy continue to wait for the safe, dignified housing they were promised.
