An investigation into a building fire in South Africa that killed 76 people has blamed city authorities

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – A report into a building fire that killed 76 people in South Africa last year concludes that city authorities should be held accountable because they were aware of serious safety problems at the dilapidated apartment block at least four years earlier blaze.

The overnight fire in the five-story building in downtown Johannesburg on August 31 was one of South Africa’s worst disasters. At least 12 children were among the dead and another 86 people were injured, some having to jump out of windows to escape the flames.

Others said they threw small children out of windows hoping they would be caught by people below. Many of the victims were burned beyond recognition as they were trapped in the crowded building, and it took authorities weeks to identify the bodies using DNA testing.

Retired judge Sisi Khampepe was put in charge of the investigation, which began in October. She delivered the first part of her report on Sunday, concluding that the City of Johannesburg, which owns the building, had shown “complete disregard” for its “catastrophic condition”.

After the fire, it was discovered that hundreds of people were living in the building illegally, some of them in shacks set up in the hallways, bathrooms and in the basement that had been used as a parking garage. According to rescue workers, the fire extinguishers were removed from the walls and the main fire exit was closed on the night of the fire.

The building’s interior was littered with trash, which, along with the makeshift wooden shacks, made the fire particularly deadly, Khampepe’s report said.

Still, city officials, national immigration officials and police officers had searched the building in 2019 and “identified the distressing living conditions in the building that contributed to the fire’s destruction,” Khampepe told reporters after submitting her report.

It recommended disciplinary action be taken against the chief executive of the Johannesburg Property Company, which oversees the city’s buildings. She also said the building should be demolished and a plaque erected to commemorate the dozens of victims.

The tragedy highlighted the extent of the decay in parts of South Africa’s largest city and economic hub, where many buildings were “hijacked” by illegal landlords who rented out spaces to people desperate for housing. The buildings are often overcrowded and safety precautions are ignored.

There was a surprise development at the inquest in January when a man due to testify as a resident of the building said he set the fire to burn the body of a man he had killed on orders from a drug dealer.

The man who made the shocking confession was arrested and charged with 76 counts of murder and arson.

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AP Africa News: https://apnews.com/hub/africa