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Kunene Urgently Calls for Evacuation of Hijacked Johannesburg Buildings
Amid a harrowing fire that claimed 77 lives in Marshalltown, the city’s Transport MMC, Kenny Kunene, has urgently called for the evacuation of hijacked buildings in Johannesburg, labelling them as crime scenes.
Per SABC News, the Gauteng government has taken action by initiating a Commission of Inquiry into the tragic fire. This commission will investigate the prevalence of hijacked buildings within the city and recommend who should be held accountable for the devastating blaze.
Kunene stressed the critical importance of closing down these hijacked and hazardous buildings, emphasising that they pose a severe threat to the safety and well-being of their occupants.
Also read: Council Convenes to Assess Scope of Hijacked Buildings in Wake of Joburg CBD Fire
He expressed the urgency of the situation, stating, “There’s only one way to save the lives of our people… we found drugs, illegal cigarettes, illegal alcohol, needles, nyaope, and we also found an 18-year-old girl locked by a Tanzanian man and we got to understand that he gives her food and claims to be a boyfriend.”
In a parallel effort to ensure the safety of residents, MMC for Public Safety in the City, Mgcini Tshwaku, announced that Vannin Court in Hillbrow will be closed due to safety concerns. This decision follows an inspection of the hijacked building. It aims to address the hazardous living conditions faced by its occupants.
Tshwaku explained that the building’s residents would receive eviction notices. He added, “And then we will get to the process of expropriating a building without compensation. It used to be owned by an individual, by a trust, and that individual has since passed on, and the security company which was guarding it moved on because they were owed about R4 million.”
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Picture: X / goolammv
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