By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The City of Joburg EMS firefighters have contained the structural fire at the corner of Jeppe and Goud Street in Joubert Park, Johannesburg CBD.
Fullview learnt that twelve shops were destroyed by fire.
Johannesburg EMS spokesperson Xolile Khumalo said they responded to a fire incident call at 2.30pm and by 5pm the fire was kept under control.
“The fire has been contained. The cause of the fire is under investigation by EMS fire inspectors,” Khumalo said.
She added that no injuries were reported.
Khumalo urges all warehouse and shop owners to exercise caution and ensure that all electrical appliances are turned off after use.
Johannesburg is one of the world’s most unequal cities with widespread poverty, joblessness and a longstanding housing crisis. It has about 15,000 homeless people, according to the government of Gauteng.
Meanwhile a commission of inquiry found the City of Johannesburg responsible for the Usindiso blaze that claimed 76 lives in the early hours of 31 August 2023 in a five-story building in Marshalltown in the Johannesburg CBD.
In the aftermath of the fire, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi appointed a commission of inquiry led by retired Justice Sisi Khampepe. The first phase of the commission was tasked with determining the cause of the fire and who was responsible. The second phase focuses on the prevalence of hijacked buildings in the city.
The commission’s Phase 1 report was released at the end of April after about seven months of hearings. It found the city and its entities were to blame for the fire.
Despite the building not being zoned for residential use, the city had leased it to Usindiso ministries. When an audit inspection deemed the building uninhabitable after Usindiso’s departure, the recommendation that it should be shut down was not heeded.
The second phase of the Khampepe Inquiry, looking into the prevalence of abandoned, occupied or “hijacked” buildings in Johannesburg, has stalled, with the commission blaming this on logistical issues.
Lesufi promised to establish a joint committee to ensure the implementation of the commission’s recommendations.
The Marshalltown Fire Justice Campaign and Centre for Applied Legal Studies (Cals) have called for accountability, stating they believed the commission’s findings were a step towards attributing accountability for the fire.