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City of Johannesburg to Verify Legal Status of Displaced Fire Victims in CBD Incident

Published

4 months ago

January 22, 2024

Following the tragic fire in Joburg CBD that claimed two lives in a hijacked building at the corner of Commissioner Street and Nugget Street, City of Joburg officials are faced with the task of relocating survivors, most of whom are reportedly from Lesotho, as per EWN.

In response to the disaster, the City of Johannesburg has decided to move the victims to Denver, where hundreds of families affected by a similar deadly blaze last year are currently being accommodated.

A woman, allegedly responsible for starting the fire during a domestic dispute with her lover, has been arrested and charged with murder.

With limited resources, the City of Johannesburg directs residents who have declined community hall accommodation to makeshift lodging on a sports field in Denver.

Also read: Newtown Commission of Inquiry Reconvenes to Delve into Johannesburg Fire Catastrophe

City spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane explained that officials will convene with the Lesotho consulate on Monday to assess the legal status of the survivors, as it has become apparent that most of them are from Lesotho.

“We are meeting this morning [Monday] to establish who is in the country legally as we are under no obligation to accommodate [people],” said Modingoane.

By the end of the week, the victims will be transferred to the Denver shelter, notorious for zinc shacks erected after the Marshalltown fire that claimed 77 lives last year.

The Denver shelter currently houses families displaced by the Booysens informal settlement inferno over two years ago. Modingoane affirmed that the City would complete the move to Denver by Friday.

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