Social development minister Lindiwe Zulu, in the presence of the media and her handlers, categorically chalked the government’s failure to act decisively against the rampant illegal occupation of dilapidated buildings in Johannesburg CBD on apartheid.
Watch: Lindiwe Zulu blames apartheid for Marshalltown fire
As families of more than 70 victims reel in utter shock from the devastating tragedy that befell a large group of illegal occupants, who, in the wee hours of Thursday, 31 August 2023, were swallowed by a raging inferno in a ‘hijacked’ building situated on the corners of Albert and Denvers Street, in Marshalltown, government officials held impromptu media briefings at the scene of the carnage.
Zulu, who heads up the social development ministry, held her oversight visit a day after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cameo. However, both Cabinet members sang from different hymn books.
While Ramaphosa’s message was solely geared toward healing and, for the most part, expressed sorrow for the victims’ families, Zulu found it opportune to bring a new perspective to the issue of illegal occupancy that’s plaguing Johannesburg.
According to the minister, “Whether we like it or not, [the Marshalltown tragedy] is the result of apartheid that kept people apart in these conditions.”
“…and we are expected to change these conditions in 30 years. But where we have to take responsibility, we must take responsibility,” she added.
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Away from the minister’s remarks, which many social media users described as tone-deaf and ignorant, work is underway to not only determine the cause of the deadly fire but to also recover more bodies from the building.
Moreover, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi announced the formation of a specialised committee in collaboration with the ministry of justice, to determine the cause of the fire.
Speaking to the media on the scene of the carnage, Johannesburg EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi confirmed rescue services responded to reports of a residential fire at approximately 01:30 on Thursday, 31 August 2023.
Mulaudzi revealed that the five-storey building, situated on the corners of Albert and Delvers Street, in Marshalltown, was a hijacked property.
From what we understand, the abandoned building was illegally occupied.
“We started evacuating people who were inside the building. While we [were] conducting fire-fighting operations, in the process we managed to recover about 20 bodies and about 43 people were treaded for smoke inhalation and also some various injuries,” Mulaudzi revealed.
When this article was published, the death toll stood at 74.