It has been a year since the tragic fire in Marshalltown, but for those who lost loved ones, time remains suspended in ashes of grief.
If one drives through Joburg CBD at night, they will be met by decaying buildings, litter-strewn streets and bodies that huddle against urine-soaked walls. As eerie silence hovers above dimly lit sidewalks and the peering eyes beyond it, it feels as if hope itself fears the inner city.
Look above and you will see buildings that tower over your miniscule body. Look closer and you will notice that many of these buildings hold no signs of life. No light peaking from the neatly stacked windows, no glass to fill their hollow frames. All that’s there is darkness, peeling coats of paint and graffiti tattooed across exposed brickwork.
At night, when life runs for safety, these buildings stand like decrepit giants whose corpses stalk the night. But there are lives in these buildings, and swallowed by their darkness, they fade into the brutal oblivion that can be Joburg.
Last year, the Usindiso building burnt down in August, claiming 77 lives and displacing hundreds. This year at the Khampepe Commission of Inquiry, it was found that the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) was liable for this lethal fire. Why? Because they were aware of the dangerous living conditions in Usindiso and (as the owners of the building) failed to address them. In other words, neglect.
But this is not about the ineptitude of local government – that tale has been told a thousand times before. Rather, this is about the consequences of that ineptitude and the scars that cannot be patched by a tin roof shack or plastic tarp.
Survivors were relocated to a settlement named Denver, where neat rows of shiny shacks were erected to accommodate the newly displaced. Besides the myriads of struggles those accommodated there reported – including the absence of a drainage system which led to the settlement flooding in January this year- some survivors received no accommodation at all, left to their own devices after losing all that they own. “We are not the only survivors here in Denver. There are over 400 survivors and only 30 of us in Denver!” claims Sethokwakhe Zungu, a community leader in Denver.
While the exact numbers cannot be confirmed, there is an element of truth in Zungu’s claim. Thirty-two displaced foreign nationals were detained at Lindela Repatriation Centre for not holding valid documentation- despite the possibility that it could have been lost in the fire. But it was not only foreigners that received the short end of the stick.
Some survivors lost their children in the fire and are still grieving their loss. Photo: Kabir Jugram
Recently, a group of survivors held a meeting at a park in Jeppestown to discuss their demands for the second part of the Khampepe Commission. However, the meeting did not materialize as only ten people showed up. Instead, what followed was an intimate discussion about their shared grievances and trauma.
Amongst the gathered crowd was a short man who stood silently with his head lowered as the others vented. His exposed skin caught the eye for the raw blotches of flesh snaking up from his arms towards his neck.
At some point his silence became evident after a woman proclaimed, “if we don’t fight for ourselves, who else will?!” bemoaning the poor attendance of the meeting. Encouraged to speak, he turned to me with a look of dignified sorrow that only the grieving possess. A spark lit in his eye as he realized I am a journalist; a designated ear for the story entangled in his wounds.
He introduced himself as Michael. “You’re a journalist?” he asked, pointing at the camera around my neck. Within an instant of my confirmation, he began detailing his trauma to me.
He told me that he lost his daughter in the fire. More than that, he was unable to see her body once he was discharged from hospital. According to him, this is because her body was misidentified and given to another family. There was no rage in his voice as he said this nor any tears – just a voice filled with calm and eyes wild with bewilderment.
But as he said this, a woman just outside the circle shed a singular tear. She simply stared at the ground and let it roll down her cheek. She too had said nothing the whole time. She too lost her child to the fire. Just like Michael, it seemed as if she had held her pain as a part of her, holding it in her eyes when unable to express it.
But while some turn to silence when carrying the burden of grief, others turn to chaos. At a protest organised by the survivors in April, a middle-aged woman caught my attention for her loud and abrasive manner. She was the loudest of those chanting and hogged the centre of the circle people danced in. She was the life of the protest… and seemingly, very drunk. From flinging her top off in the middle of the street to urinating on busy sidewalks, she slowly grew more unhinged as the protest wore on.
At first, she seemed a mere drunkard. So, when she approached me to talk, I was hesitant. But everyone deserves the right to be heard, and so we walked slightly behind the protestors barreling down Marshalltown. Most of what she told me was incoherent. But amidst her hysteria a moment of reflection arose when I asked her: “How is life in Denver?”.
Tears began cascading down her cheeks as she murmured, “life is too hard; I miss my baby” again and again. After that, she seamlessly returned to her drunken rambling. However, while she stumbled through the streets and shouted belligerently, she also offered me food. “You must eat, others are hungry!” she scolded when I politely declined. Even in the throes of an overwhelming grief, she was still a mother in action and deed.
In April this year, survivors protested the lack of adequate compensation received after the fire. Photo: Kabir Jugram
Just like Michael and the lady of silent tears, her scars have been left to fester from within. The Khampepe Comission recommended counselling for the survivors, but those that I have met are still waiting. “The commission recommended counselling for the victims but did not say whose responsibility that is. Maybe that’s why no one’s received any help yet,” claims General Zungu, a coordinator for the Marshalltown Fire Justice Campaign (MFJC). So, compounded by the everyday fight for survival, their trauma now stalks them from a place beyond politics.
With barely a finger lifted by the city, they bathe in grief in one room shacks; or float through Joburg in search of life – the ones they lost in Usindiso. They scream at protests, but I am not sure whether they are truly heard. As some settle in the darkness of another abandoned building at night, haunted by grief and silenced by trauma, they become one of thousands of lost souls that lurk in the shadows of Joburg, the city of ghosts.
FEATURED IMAGE: Survivors marching to the mayor’s office in April under the moniker of the MFJC. Photo: Kabir Jugram
Grassfires have lit up our city and black plumes of smoke have ascended over it too, but whether controlled or wild, these fires spark the debate of whether they are beneficial or not.
Imagine driving down the N1 highway when a white haze takes over the sky and obscures your line of vision. The car, truck or whatever in front of you an unrecognisable haze no matter how hard you squint. Hazards blink at double speed, a desperate safety warning that you are on the road too.
You can smell the scent of burnt grass, smoke filtering through your air vents. You try to close them, but it is too late, the car has already filled with dust and ash. A cough escapes as you wipe your watery eyes and then you see the flames engulfing the nature reserve you drive by every day. Bunnies hope, birds fly, and snakes slither away from the flames. You watch as the firemen throw water on the flames, get in their truck, and drive away.
Johannesburg’s Winter months have seen many grass fires blazing alongside highways and homes, but no one really understands if these fires are readying the ground for new life in Spring, or if they are random and just killing many species in their wake.
Sporadic fires and controlled fires look identical, with the only difference being the havoc they wreak.
The veld section part of EnviroServ’s property was reduced to ashes when an out-of-control fire swept up everything in its path. Photo: Victoria Hill
Veld next to The Meridian complex in Solheim was doused in smoke, creating a very ominous picture as residents looked on. Photo: Victoria Hill
AG De Witt Drive between Bedfordview, Solheim, and Dawnview had decreased visibility due to a roadside fire that was not under supervision. Photo: Victoria Hill
A fire on the corner of AG De Witt Drive and Kloof Road boarded on a private residence, causing harmful fumes to envelop the property. Photo: Victoria Hill
The small piece of veld next to Smit Street on-ramp in Braamfontein was smoking one afternoon whilst civilians laid amongst the flames and fumes. Photo: Victoria Hill
After a controlled veld fire, new blades of grass could be seen rising from the ashes, indicating the usefulness of grass fires in Winter months. Photo: Victoria HIll
Controlled burning of grasslands or velds are actually a common occurrence in Johannesburg and other parts of South Africa. Joburg City Parks says this acts as a firebreak so that if accidental fires do occur, they do not spread very far. However, they also act as an ecological resetter — fire removes dead matter from the ecosystem which could potentially house harmful insects, pests, weeds, or diseases.
Research says dead matter also holds onto nutrients that would otherwise be absorbed into the soil for other plants to use as food. The ash produced from grass fires can also act as a natural fertiliser for plant growth in the Spring as it contains vitamins and minerals like phosphorous, calcium, and potassium.
Examples of these sorts of fires can be seen in the black grass dressing Johannesburg’s velds. Many of us do not even realise a grass fire occurred because it was quick and controlled, but impactful.
Accidental fires, or uncontrolled fires, are not ecologically friendly as they just burn and burn until they are stopped — hopefully. They occur mostly near very dry grasslands, usually due to a lit cigarette being discarded or just bad luck. They sweep close to residential areas, cars, people, and anything else in its path.
Let us not forget the little creatures that never make it out alive like earthworms, spiders, ants, and other insects vital for aerating soil or biologically controlling pests. Bird nests also die in the blaze, including their chicks or eggs that were nestled inside.
An example of this would be the huge black cloud of smoke that covered Brickfield Road in Germiston on Saturday, August 10. What was meant to be a controlled burning of a large veld turned nasty when the wind swept the flames to a neighbouring plastic recycling plant. The smoke let off from these types of fires also contribute to air pollution as it contains harmful greenhouse gases. Bethany Augliere, a writer for Earth Magazine, says burning grass releases nitrogen pollution that harms air quality.
Another instance was on Sunday, August 11, when veld next to a busy main road between Bedfordview and Germiston was under a controlled burn but soon got carried away and closer towards boundary walls of residential homes. Because of the close proximity, this thick and polluted air was inhaled by humans and their pets which can have disastrous health implications. Firemen were told to keep the area on their radar to ensure the flames fizzled themselves out relatively soon, which they did.
Fire is a scary element, one that can burn anything in its path to the ground. As children, we were always told not to play with fire, lest our fingers get burnt. But then we watched phoenixes combust into a blaze on television screens, and saw a new creature emerge from the fire’s centre. So, is fire really just a killer or also a mother giving birth to new life?
FEATURED IMAGE: A huge black plume of smoke adorned the sky in parts of the East Rand on Saturday, August 10, after a veld fire spiralled out of control. Photo: Victoria Hill
The City of Johannesburg has been found liable for the Usindiso building fire, and this finding should anger all residents of Johannesburg.
On Monday 05 May 2024, the commission of inquiry into the Usindiso building fire found the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) and its entity Johannesburg Property Company (JPC) to be liable for the tragedy.
This finding comes after Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi established a commission of inquiry, chaired by Justice Sisi Khampepe, in September last year to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire at the Usindiso building in August 2023, which claimed 76 lives.
In short, the reasoning behind the findings of the commission boils down to severe neglect. According to the commission report, the building was declared a “problem property” as far back as 2019.
Why was the building declared a problem property? Well, the building had violated numerous municipal by-laws relating to water, electricity, public safety, waste management and emergency services. Occupants detailed the presence of numerous illegal electricity connections, overcrowding of rooms and the usage of water from firefighting installations as domestic water supply.
These are a mere snapshot of the conditions that made Usindiso unlivable- others included violent crime, a lack of waste management and the blocking of emergency exits by shacks – things CoJ was made aware of over four years ago.
The building was initially abandoned in 2017 by Usindiso Ministries and was never zoned for residential purposes. By 2019, the CoJ and JPC were aware of this. Moreover, they were aware of the decaying state of the building, with the commission report stating the building was liable to be demolished back then. This did not occur, however, and the building was soon hijacked and illegally occupied.
As the property owners, the CoJ and JPC were then responsible for ensuring compliance with these by-laws designed to ensure building safety. If this had been done, the fire would arguably not have had the devastating consequences it did. According to the commission report, “Law enforcement at Usindiso building was virtually absent and there was no political accountability taken by the officials of the City for the condition of the building both at the time and in the aftermath of the fire.”
In essence, the severity of the fire could have been prevented had the CoJ simply done its job. While yes, the fire was caused by an isolated incident (a man setting someone on fire on the ground floor), did the fire have to reach the levels it did? In the commission report, survivors detail how they could not access escape routes and had to jump from the fourth floor to survive. If the CoJ had addressed the fact that shacks had been blocking emergency passages, would more people have been able to escape?
This is just an example of how neglect exacerbated the fire, and there’s more that could be said to illustrate the point. If water had been supplied to the building, residents would probably not have tampered with firefighting instalments. If the municipality had disconnected the illegal electricity connections in the building, perhaps the flame would not have spread as quickly as it did. The list could go on.
In other words, if the municipality had taken accountability, the commission would not be recommending a plaque to commemorate 76 lives.
As South Africans and residents of Joburg, this should enrage us. The Usindiso fire is not just a random tragedy, it is a product of governmental incompetence and complicity. In the rubble and ashes, the stench of Johannesburg’s corrupt government lingers – a stench that has proven to be fatal now.
Protestors gathered in Marshalltown to highlight the plight and neglect of survivors from the 2023 tragedy.
Almost six months after a devastating fire, survivors say they have been left worse off. Now, the ‘Marshalltown Fire Justice Campaign’ (MFJC) has made a demand for adequate housing for the group.
The MFCJ organized a march to demand adequate housing for fire survivors. Photo: Kabir Jugram
Residents of the Denver settlement, just outside of the Johannesburg CBD, were led by the MFJC on April 26, 2024, as they approached the doorsteps of provincial power.
No one met the group at Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda’s office, but a representative, Puleng Chabane who is the deputy director of rapid responses accepted the memorandum of demands at Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi’s office.
The MFJC was initially established to give support to victims of the Usindiso building fire on August 31, 2023, that claimed 77 lives and displaced hundreds.
According to General Moyo, a co-ordinator of the MFJC, those displaced by the fire have been made to live in poorer conditions.
A Denver settlement resident holds up a sign which reads: “Eliminate housing backlogs with decent houses”. Photo: Kabir Jugram
Protestors marching through the streets of Marshalltown. Photo: Kabir Jugram
“[The shacks] can collapse at any time because there’s heavy underground mining activity, and when there’s flooding the people cannot sleep!… Those one-room shacks are built with cheap materials,” he said.
The lack of security and overcrowding in the settlement has also made women more vulnerable to Gender-Based Violence according to Moyo.
Siphiwe Ncobo, a street vendor originally from Newcastle, lost her husband and child in the fire and has since been relocated to Denver. Despite a monthly R1 500 rental, she said there is no water, electricity and cooking facilities.
“The black working class in particular get to bare the scapegoating, blaming and bashing of the elite that is incapable of resolving the many crises of their system!”
Mametlwe Sebei
Ncobo also claims she has seen up to seven people share a one-room shack. “It’s a squatter camp, not a hostel” she said.
Speaking to those gathered, Mametlwe Sebei, president of the General Industries Workers Union and co-ordinator for MFJC, accused the government of ‘constitutional delinquency’ for failing to provide fire victims with their constitutional right to adequate housing.
Sebei claims the government uses foreign nationals as scapegoats for a lack of resources, despite the numerous dilapidated buildings in Joburg CBD that could be repurposed for the displaced.
“The black working class in particular get to bare the scapegoating, blaming and bashing of the elite that is incapable of resolving the many crises of their system!” proclaimed Sebei.
In that sense, the march was more than a demand for adequate housing. It was a collective voice of frustration aimed at a government that continues to neglect its poor.
Despite that, spirits were high as the crowd marched through the streets of Joburg CBD. The young and elderly alike could be seen dancing and whistling in the blazing sun, giving meaning to their chant as they proclaimed: “long live the spirit of Usindiso, long live!”
Co-ordinators of the protest explain the purpose of the march. Video/YouTube: Kabir Jugram
FEATURED IMAGE: Protestors Dance as they prepare to march to the mayor’s office. Photo: Kabir Jugram
Another explosion mere weeks after the last, rocked the Johannesburg CBD on Tuesday.
This blast was accompanied by a one-storey high fire on the corner of Bertha and De Korte streets in Braamfontein at 15:15 on September 5, 2023.
A Total Braamfontein petrol attendant, Emmanuel Legau, told Wits Vuvuzela he heard a loud bang and then, “I saw fire erupt from the ground, and I saw someone rolling on the floor, near the where the fire broke [out].”
The explosion in an open manhole with an Egoli Gas maintenance team in it, led to their gas truck catching alight and then the flames quickly spread close to the entrance of South Point’s Epozini student accommodation.
A fire erupts from a gas pipe explosion during an Egoli Gas maintenance, causing damage to a truck, a nearby building and the traffic lights. Photo: Terri-Ann Brouwers.
According to the city’s mayor, Kabelo Gwamanda, the team was carrying out “preventative maintenance” on pipeline infrastructure, to be proactive and not have a repeat of the Bree Street explosion just six and a half weeks ago.
The fire was luckily extinguished within half an hour. Spokesperson of Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Nana Radebe-Kgiba said “five people were injured and assessed on the scene,” with one Egoli Gas employee rushed to the hospital. All the injuries are said to be moderate.
Firefighters manage the last flames of the Braamfontein gas explosion fire. Photo: Terri-Ann Brouwers.
In a statement, Egoli Gas called the fire on the gas line “unfortunate” and said they will be working more closely with the City of Joburg when carrying out maintenance in future to ensure public safety.
Floyd Brink, member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) said an investigation is underway to determine the cause.
The aftermath of the Braamfontein gas explosion fire. Photo: Terri-Ann Brouwers.
FEATURED IMAGE: A crowd look on as a from a gas pipe explosion engulfs a maintenance truck and a nearby vacant building. Photo by Terri-Ann Brouwers.
Ringing alarms and the smell of burning rubber forced occupants of University Corner to exit the building unexpectedly today.
At three this afternoon, occupants of Wits’ University Corner Building on the corner of Jorissen and Bertha streets were rushed out of the building following a fire in the building. “The alarm rang in our building and we thought nothing of it. But then I went to investigate more and I saw smoke coming out of the lift,” said Juliet White who is an events coordinator at Drama for Life.
Just wait
White’s colleague Zandile Bekwa then called Wits emergency services to notify them about the smoke. “I called the emergency services and they said we should just wait and not move,” said Bekwa. She said they waited for a few minutes as the smell of the smoke became more potent and they decided to leave the office.
“We decided to take the stairs down to ground floor because we got a bit nervous when we saw the smoke,” said Bekwa. On their way down stairs the ladies met James Bekes a technician from Britefire Security who told them to exit the building as there had been a fire in one of the three lifts.
[pullquote align=”right”]I think they might be waiting for somebody to get killed before they fix the lifts[/pullquote]
Bekes said a small electrical fire had started in Lift B on the 14th floor due to a faulty control panel, which made the buttons burst into flames. He said they had been called at 3:05 PM and had arrived on scene five minutes later. “I cannot confirm what created the electrical fire but we were called to come handle the issue,” he said.
Last month Wits Vuvuzela reported that faulty lifts in the building were leaving students, staff and tenants frustrated. Eddy Kekana, technical supervisor for the Property and Infrastructure Management Division (PIMD), said the lifts could only be fixed one lift at a time and that each lift would take up to six months to fix.
“Basically we found out about the fire via word of mouth”
Wits Vuvuzela has since learned that lift B which started the fire is not the lift that was being repaired, but rather the lift students and staff have been using throughout the year.
As technicians attended to the emergency, a group of people waited in the reception area of theWits Arts Museum. Nick Rumpelt, 3rd year Music student, they were rehearsing on the 8th floor and they were notified about the fire by a classmate who bumped into some people rushing down stairs.
“Basically we found out about the fire via word of mouth, no one official like security or the technician came to notify us,” said Rumpelt. Carlo Mombelli, famous South African bassist and music teacher at Wits was told not to enter the building when he arrived to give a lesson.
“I think they might be waiting for somebody to get killed before they fix the lifts,” he said. It was only at 5pm after 2 hours that occupants were allowed to re-enter the building.
Only one lift remains functional in the 21 storey building, however students and staff are reluctant to use it following the fire.
Suspected foul play has been ruled out as the cause of a fire in the Yale Road staff residential quarters on East Campus on Friday. The fire led to the death of David Sekhoela after he sustained critical injuries.
Sekhoela, a Servest worker, died in hospital on Saturday September 15.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
Most of the Yale Road residents are contract workers at Wits.
Richard Quinton, the responsible engineer at the Property and Infrastructure Management Division, said: “Many unsubstantiated rumours are being spread concerning the circumstances surrounding the case and [we are] considering conflicting statements received from various witnessing parties.”
No answers yet: Grieving Yale Road residents are awaiting the outcome of an investigation into the cause of the fire on Friday September 14.
Some of Sekhoela’s belongings removed from the blaze.
Sekhoela’s former roommate, Paul Skotho, was in Germiston on the night of the fire. He was informed of the incident by phone on Saturday.
He remembered Sekhoela as “a joyful person who enjoyed laughing”.
“He wasn’t very vocal, like if someone made him angry, he would get angry but he would be laughing the next day.”
Chairperson of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) at Wits and Yale Road resident, Richard Sadiki, said Sekhoela had complained that as a contract worker he was not allowed to use just any pedestrian entrance to Wits.
Sadiki said Sekhoela had jokingly said it was better for him to go home because he was a “prisoner” at Wits.
“Maybe this wouldn’t have happened if he had just gone home,” Sadiki said.
Each room in the Yale Road residence traditionally contributes R50 to housemates who have suffered personal tragedies or to the families of those who die. Recently, R1100 was raised for the family of late resident Samson Makhunga. Sadiki said Sekhoela had not contributed to the fund for Makhunga.
Asking for donations for Sekhoela at a house meeting on Tuesday, Sadiki appealed for housemates to give voluntarily “in an African way”.
“Even if he made a mistake when he was alive, we cannot just punish him because he didn’t agree with us.”
Wits acting registrar Nita Lawton-Misra conveyed condolences on behalf of the university.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to the family, friends and colleagues of Mr Sekhoela, and those who knew him well.”
This tragic incident is being investigated by the SAPS in collaboration with the health and safety manager of the company the victim worked for.
Published in Wits Vuvuzela 25th edition, 21st September 2012
From the Sidelines is a podcast that uncovers the realities of building a career in football journalism, focusing on the ups and downs of breaking into this competitive field. In second episode, we sit down with Mazola Molefe, a highly acclaimed South African sports journalist known for his impactful coverage and respected voice in the […]
