The City of Johannesburg is facing a huge crisis with the alarming number of hazardous and hijacked buildings that are occupied by the vulnerable and poor in the CBD.
The absence of clear policy direction on fire safety and lack of enforcement of bylaws over the years has further compounded this problem. The latest fire inside a hijacked building on Commissioner Street, which left two people dead and scores injured, is another reminder of the perilous state of buildings in the city centre.
While the city has the sole responsibility to ensure public safety in buildings, it has not taken pragmatic steps over time to effectively deal with decaying properties and provide habitable housing in the inner city.
City officials have often sought to point fingers at non governmental organisations, accusing them of being a stumbling block in dealing with the problem. This rhetoric has also been used to blame migrants while the real issue, which is lack of decent housing, is allowed to fester.
What we have witnessed this week in the aftermath of another building fire is the usual reaction by politicians seeking to divert attention from taking accountability for the mess.
The rejuvenation of Joburg CBD has mostly been led by private companies such as banks, which have developed pockets of the city into beautified urban precincts. These developments havebrought with them economicactivity that opens opportunities for traders and workers seeking to make a living in tough economic times.
The reality, however, is that many of these groups of workers and traders can hardly afford rental for the most secure and safe buildings in the city. Therefore, without social housing by the city that caters for their needs, the workers and the poor are at the mercy of criminals and hijackers who collect rent from them while living in the most dangerous of conditions.
The recent fire tragedies have once again highlighted the lack of concern by the city to deal with housing shortages and address the problems of safety in buildings. If the city hopes to rescue this situation, it must start by looking at its own buildings that have fallen into the hands of hijackers and have been left to decay.
SOWETAN | Tackle CBD housing crisis now
The City of Johannesburg is facing a huge crisis with the alarming number of hazardous and hijacked buildings that are occupied by the vulnerable and poor in the CBD.
The absence of clear policy direction on fire safety and lack of enforcement of bylaws over the years has further compounded this problem. The latest fire inside a hijacked building on Commissioner Street, which left two people dead and scores injured, is another reminder of the perilous state of buildings in the city centre.
While the city has the sole responsibility to ensure public safety in buildings, it has not taken pragmatic steps over time to effectively deal with decaying properties and provide habitable housing in the inner city.
City officials have often sought to point fingers at non governmental organisations, accusing them of being a stumbling block in dealing with the problem. This rhetoric has also been used to blame migrants while the real issue, which is lack of decent housing, is allowed to fester.
What we have witnessed this week in the aftermath of another building fire is the usual reaction by politicians seeking to divert attention from taking accountability for the mess.
The rejuvenation of Joburg CBD has mostly been led by private companies such as banks, which have developed pockets of the city into beautified urban precincts. These developments havebrought with them economicactivity that opens opportunities for traders and workers seeking to make a living in tough economic times.
The reality, however, is that many of these groups of workers and traders can hardly afford rental for the most secure and safe buildings in the city. Therefore, without social housing by the city that caters for their needs, the workers and the poor are at the mercy of criminals and hijackers who collect rent from them while living in the most dangerous of conditions.
The recent fire tragedies have once again highlighted the lack of concern by the city to deal with housing shortages and address the problems of safety in buildings. If the city hopes to rescue this situation, it must start by looking at its own buildings that have fallen into the hands of hijackers and have been left to decay.