SA fire tragedy: Five Tanzanians confirmed dead

Dar es Salaam. At least five Tanzanians were confirmed dead in a fire tragedy that involved a building taken over for illegal housing in central Johannesburg, South Africa.

The blaze killed 74 people, including 12 children, and injured another 61 who received hospital treatment in what was one of the deadliest fires worldwide in recent years.

Emergency services said a fire broke out in the five-storey building early on Thursday, and bodies were discovered piled up at a security gate that was closed, preventing people from escaping the blaze.

“So far, we have confirmed five Tanzanians among the deceased, but further investigation is ongoing. More updates will be provided later in the day,” said Tanzania’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Gaudence Milanzi, by phone.

It is likely the death toll will rise, said Maj Gen Milanzi (rtd), as authorities have not yet identified the deceased caught up in the building fire.

The deadly fire ripped through a five-storey structure, trapping individuals who were sleeping inside. Firefighters fought the blaze for several hours but were unable to save everyone on time.

City authorities said the municipality-owned, listed building in an economically depressed, crime-ridden area had been turned into illegal housing after being abandoned.

Most of those living there were foreigners, one resident said.
“I’m grateful to be alive; there were a lot of us running, trying to find the fire exit, and a lot of people eventually died because of smoke inhalation,” said Kenny Bupe, a survivor caught up in the blaze while visiting a friend.

The 28-year-old told AFP he was in a group that managed to break open a locked fire escape gate and run to safety, while others “jumped out” of windows.

“This is a great tragedy, felt by families whose loved ones perished in this terrible manner,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said at an event in the southern city of Gqeberha.
Visiting the scene later in the evening, he said authorities were working “full out” to assist those affected, adding the disaster needed to be investigated.

“It’s a wake-up call for us to begin to address the situation of housing in the inner cities,” Mr Ramaphosa said. It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze. House fires are fairly common in South Africa, plagued by chronic power outages where poverty and homelessness are widespread.

Authorities said candles used for lighting inside the structure or stoves and other heating devices were likely causes.

The building, which has been evacuated, is located in what used to be the business district of South Africa’s economic hub and was used as an informal settlement by people squatting there illegally, authorities said.

“Inside the building itself, there was a security gate that was closed, so people couldn’t get out,” said Mgcini Tshwaku, a member of the city’s mayoral committee in charge of public safety.

“Many burned bodies were found stashed at that gate.”
During the day, firefighters damped down hotspots as emergency services laid dead bodies under blankets on the street outside.

Paramedics assisted survivors, some looking bruised and visibly in pain. According to city officials, the block is in a poor, crime-ridden neighbourhood and was converted into illegal dwellings after being abandoned.

More than 200 homeless people, including foreigners from Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and other neighbouring countries, were housed in the property on an ‘informal’ basis.

Illegal occupation of disused buildings in Johannesburg’s city centre is widespread, with many said to be under the control of criminal syndicates.

The building was raided by police in 2019, when 140 foreign nationals were arrested for illegally collecting rent, Johannesburg city manager Floyd Brink said.

South Africa, with the continent’s most industrialised economy, attracts millions of migrants, many undocumented, from other African nations.

Condolences poured in, including from the head of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply saddened” by the news of the fire.

UN teams in South Africa are “ready to work with the authorities to provide assistance to those affected and to prevent further incidents of this nature”, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.