At least 74 people have been killed overnight after a fire destroyed a run-down, five-storey apartment block in Johannesburg. Authorities say the fire was one of the worst disasters the city has experienced in its history of poverty, household fires, and homelessness.
According to multiple media reports, the fire was still smoldering as of Thursday morning, local time, more than 12 hours after the blaze broke out. Authorities are still unable to provide a clear picture of who lived in the complex as some of the rooms might have been rented out by criminal gangs in a so-called "hijacked building."
Forensic Pathology Services official Thembalethu Mpahlaza said that, of the 74 bodies that were recovered, 12 of whom were children and 24 were women.
Ramaphosa: Johannesburg Flat Block Fire a 'Great Tragedy'
In a televised remark, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called the fire a "great tragedy" for those who have lost loved ones in the blaze.
"I do hope that the investigations into the fire will...prevent a repeat of such a tragedy," he added.
Ramaphosa also visited the scene of the fire, where he also attended to the wailing of families of victims of the incident. He said the South African government should consider addressing the housing issue in the city.
Meanwhile, emergency services personnel were overwhelmed with the vastness of the fire.
"Over 20 years in the service, I've never come across something like this," Johannesburg Emergency Services Management spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said.
Firefighters are still investigating how the fire started, but local government official Mgcini Tshwaku said initial evidence suggested it started with a candle, a staple supply for residents in the area to give them light during the evenings and heat during the winter months.
As the fire grew, many of the residents had a hard time getting out quickly, with some of them having to jump off windows to get to safety, as per the Associated Press.
Building Connected to the Apartheid, Criminal Gangs
Johannesburg officials initially suggested the building was occupied by squatters, but Gauteng province Human Settlements department head Lebogang Isaac Maile said the Johannesburg building was inhabited by people who might have been renting from or were being extorted by, criminal gangs.
"There are cartels who prey on...vulnerable people," he told reporters "Because some of these buildings, if not most of them, are actually in the hands of those cartels who collect rental from the people."
Meanwhile, Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda said the local government had leased it to a charity for displaced women, but it had "ended up serving a different purpose" over time. However, he did not give any further details.
Aside from the fact it was hijacked, the apartment building had a sign at the entrance which was identified as a heritage building from South Africa's apartheid past, where Black South Africans came to collect their "dompas" - documents that would enable them to work in white-owned areas of the city.
