Cape Town – ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has claimed that the ANC cannot be blamed for the recent fire in a dilapidated Johannesburg building that killed at least 74 people this week.
Mbalula argued that the ANC lost power in Johannesburg in 2016 and is no longer responsible for the city’s governance.
He pointed out that the ANC has been out of power in Johannesburg for nearly a decade, with the mayorship changing hands multiple times.
“The ANC has been out of power for almost 10 years here in Johannesburg. The mayor was Herman Mashaba and Mpho Phalatse, and the mayor now is [Kabelo] Gwamanda. So, the ANC is not in charge of the City, and that is a fact,” he said while addressing the media on Friday.
[ICYMI] “Herman Mashaba has been dealing with this matter. There are NGOs that have come in and they have obstructed the work of government.”- ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula speaking on the #JHBFire tragedy. #Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/oV9dQ8rcg4
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) September 1, 2023
The ANC had governed Johannesburg since 2000, but it briefly lost power between 2016 and 2019 before regaining it when the former DA member and mayor, Herman Mashaba, was voted out.
Meanwhile, search dogs looked for bodies on Friday the building that went up in flames.
Authorities asked relatives to go to a morgue in Soweto to identify the victims, as the search continued at the site.
The fire has reopened a debate about so-called hijacked buildings — old disused blocks that have fallen under the control of criminal syndicates who collect rent from squatters.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said it was “a wake-up call for us to begin to address the situation of housing in the inner cities” as he visited the site late on Thursday.
Government across all levels is working around the clock to ensure that those who need assistance, from alternative accommodation to trauma counselling, are being looked after. #JHBFire pic.twitter.com/aEEJRjRxCi
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) August 31, 2023
The building, located in an economically depressed, crime-ridden area, was owned by the municipality and listed as a heritage site.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
Additional reporting by AFP
