Dilapidated Buildings in City Centres Raise Concerns

Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba has warned about the perilous state of dilapidated buildings in city centres. His concerns come from a catastrophic fire in Johannesburg’s city centre that gutted the five-story Usindiso Centre building, resulting in the tragic loss of over 70 lives and scores of injuries.

SABC News reports that Makgoba’s recent visit to an illegally occupied building on Albert Street in Johannesburg has heightened these concerns. He strongly highlighted the urgent need to address this issue: “There is a welter of emotions around these buildings. Walking with religious leaders and a few city officials this Wednesday just made me, as a South African, a bit scared, and I’m a hopeless optimist. But when I was walking, I realised that a couple of them were sitting on a time bomb. Some of these buildings, quite frankly, need to be pulled down because they’re not fit for habitation.”

Also read: Council Convenes to Assess Scope of Hijacked Buildings in Wake of Joburg CBD Fire

SACC in Gauteng held a memorial service. The Chairperson of the SACC in Gauteng, Bishop Dr. White Makabe Rakuba, expressed gratitude to emergency services personnel who did their utmost to rescue individuals from the blazing building.

The memorial service occurred at the Central Methodist Church. It commenced at 10 a.m. and was open to all who wished to pay their respects and remember those affected by this devastating fire. While emergency services responded valiantly, tragically, not everyone could be saved in the blaze.

Also read:

Kunene Urgently Calls for Evacuation of Hijacked Johannesburg Buildings

Picture: X / Kommander_Josh

Follow us on Google News.