Johannesburg City Government Partially Responsible for Deadly Fire, Investigation Finds

The Johannesburg city government is partly responsible for the big fire last year in a South African city. This is according to a committee that investigated the incident. The owner of the building where the fire was located also said that he did not meet his obligations.

The fire killed 77 people and injured dozens of people. The fire was started by a 29-year-old man. He confessed and said he set the fire to cover up a murder.

According to the investigative committee, the consequences would have been much less if the city of Johannesburg had complied with the laws and regulations. The building was officially empty at the time of the fire, but hundreds of people lived there. Due to a lot of rubbish in and around the building, they could not be emptied quickly.

The building was taken over by gangs who rented out the flats illegally. It had also become a place where murders were committed, drugs were sold and weapons were stored, according to the report.

The residents used illegal water and electricity connections and the partition walls were built of flammable material. The city and the property owner were aware of this, but did not intervene.