Joburg fire was a disaster waiting to happen, says Herman Mashaba

Emergency services had their hands full in dealing with the inferno that could have been prevented, according to former Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba. Picture: Timothy Bernard/African News Agency (ANA)

Emergency services had their hands full in dealing with the inferno that could have been prevented, according to former Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba. Picture: Timothy Bernard/African News Agency (ANA)

Published Aug 31, 2023

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Former Johannesburg mayor and leader of ActionSA Herman Mashaba says the fire in one of the buildings that led to the death of dozens of people was a disaster waiting to happen.

He accused NGOs and the ANC of blocking him from removing people who were illegally occupying hijacked buildings.

Mashaba, who was mayor between 2016 and 2019, said he was insulted when he raised red flags about hazardous buildings.

“As far as I am concerned, this was an accident bound to happen. When I brought this potential tragedy to South Africans, some people and human rights lawyers unleashed insults and name-calling against me, including the ANC reporting me to the SAHRC (South African Human Rights Commission),” said Mashaba.

IFP MPL in Gauteng and party provincial leader, Bonginkosi Dhlamini said they were shocked by the number of people killed in the fire.

He said the incident points to the City of Johannesburg’s failure to crackdown on hijacked buildings.

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