Joburg fire: No need for Lesufi’s inquiry into the cause when we know who is to blame
1 September 2023
ActionSA believes that there is no need for Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, to set up a Committee of Inquiry into the cause of the devastating building fire in Marshalltown, Johannesburg, when the facts are clear over the circumstances that led to the blaze. We view this move as another PR stunt by the ever-grandstanding ANC Gauteng Chairperson, who tends to use state resources for his gimmicks.
When ActionSA President, Herman Mashaba, was Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, he repeatedly warned that unless the city and province urgently addressed the hijacking of buildings, it would be a disaster waiting to happen. Mashaba was the first mayor in South Africa to pioneer a project to reclaim these buildings.
But when his term ended these projects came to an abrupt end with city and provincial officials allowing these buildings to fall into further decay - creating the inhumane circumstances and overcrowding that led to the blaze.
ActionSA therefore maintains that it is the state who should directly be held accountable for allowing the breakdown of the rule of law in the Johannesburg inner city. They were aware of the crises for many years but chose to do nothing, and unless urgent action is taken another disaster is waiting to happen.