Blankets and sheets hang from the windows of the burnt out building in Johannesburg’s inner city, used by residents as they tried to escape Thursday’s blaze in which over 70 people died. The city says that it raided this particular building in 2019 and a suspect was charged for illegally collecting rent from tenants. It claims that non-governmental organisations are hampering council efforts to deal with the so-called hijacked buildings. “We are aware of hijacked buildings within the city. President Cyril Ramaphosa, who visited the site on Thursday evening, described it as a “wake-up call” for government to address the housing crisis in the inner city.

Source: Ethiopian News September 01, 2023 16:02 UTC