A commission of inquiry tasked with uncovering the causes and responsibilities behind the August 2023 fire at a downtown Johannesburg building has released the initial findings of its report. This tragic incident claimed the lives of 76 individuals, marking one of the deadliest fires in the country’s history.
According to the inquiry commission, the negligence of the Johannesburg municipality in maintaining the building played a pivotal role in the magnitude of the tragedy that unfolded on August 31st, 2023. The municipal building had been abandoned since 2017 and was occupied by numerous families at the time of the fire.
The commission revealed that authorities were aware of this situation as early as 2019 but failed to take corrective action. The building was dilapidated, cluttered with debris, and had never been converted into residential accommodation, even when it served as a shelter for women victims of violence.
This neglect created a ticking time bomb, ultimately claiming the lives of the 76 victims who perished in the flames, including 12 children.
Regarding the cause of the fire, it is equally grim and attributed to a suspect who confessed several months ago to strangling a man and then setting fire to the corpse to conceal the crime.
The commission has called for the demolition of the remaining structure, with further details of its findings set to be released in a week.