Cape Town – The Jeppestown building where a fire claimed four lives was a hub of criminal activity, according to Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero.
Joburg emergency management services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi stated that the fire, which claimed the lives of two men and two women, is believed to have been caused by an illegal electrical connection due to the building’s condition.
During the fire, responders saw people leaving the building with guns and ammunition.
@CityofJoburgEMS This is the roof top which residents erected structures on top of the building which caught fire early hours of this morning in Jeppestown. @CityofJoburgZA @CoJPublicSafety pic.twitter.com/rH6uPXQY91
— City of Joburg EMS (@CityofJoburgEMS) August 25, 2024
The building, owned by a private company, had been abandoned and hijacked, becoming a site for crimes including rape and robbery.
“[We] shouldn’t think this is a simple solution, it’s very complicated. We have a lot of syndicates involved. You need law enforcement agencies to help you investigate.
“In fact the team was telling us just now as they were coming in in the early hours of the morning to extinguish the fire, there were a lot of groups coming out with high artillery from this very building, which suggests the city alone will not have the necessary capacity to deal with this thing,” Times Live quoted Morero as saying.
Mayor Morero emphasised the city’s challenges in addressing hijacked buildings, noting the involvement of criminal syndicates and the need for coordinated law enforcement efforts.
Seaking to Newzroom Afrika, Ward Councillor Themba Mkhizesaid that homeless people began occupying the building after discovering it was uninhabited.
The death toll from the Jeppestown building fire has risen to four, as the search continues for individuals still unaccounted for. The 3-storey building caught fire in the early hours of the morning, rendering numerous families destitute. Ward Councilor Themba Mkhize says… pic.twitter.com/eGlK7qB7LA
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) August 25, 2024
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
