At Least 74 Dead in Johannesburg Building Fire

Facts

On Thursday, Johannesburg authorities announced that at least 74 people, including 12 children, have been found dead inside a five-story building that was ravaged by fire. The cause of the fire remains unclear.¹
As search and rescue operations continue, the death toll is expected to rise. It's believed that up to 200 families were occupying the informal settlement.²
In inner city areas, abandoned buildings, even some owned by the City are "hijacked" as informal settlements. In most cases, those occupying the buildings are illegal immigrants and people who have migrated from other African countries.³
In addition to those killed, more than 50 people were injured as they attempted to escape the fast-moving fire. Residents were seen jumping from windows after tossing their children to bystanders standing below.⁴
According to the Johannesburg Emergency Management Services, the building was owned by the City and had been previously leased to the Department of Social Development to be used as a women's shelter before becoming an informal settlement after the end of the lease.⁵
In response to the news of the deadly fire, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa called it a "great tragedy" and a "wake-up call" to address "housing in the inner city."⁶

Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by GroundUp. This fire is nothing short of tragic. These living conditions and vulnerabilities for the people of Johannesburg are not unique to this building. A large swath of the inner city population is impoverished and unable to afford safe and sanitary living accommodations. These systemic failures are fed by a government that refuses to act — not only are officials allowing Not only are they allowing people to reside in unsafe conditions, but they are not providing an adequate amount of safe, regulated, and well-maintained housing solutions.
Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by News 24. The City of Johannesburg is committed to ensuring that inner-city communities are safe and that people are living in conditions that are not harmful. The City has provided resources to seek out and investigate so-called "hijacked" properties. These investigations have been successful in their efforts and returned dozens of properties that were taken over by criminal elements to their rightful owners. This is an unspeakable tragedy, but there are efforts to improve the city one dilapidated building at a time.