The leadership of South Africa's Johannesburg city has been found liable for the August 2023 fire incident that killed at least 77 occupants of an apartment in the city centre.
A commission of inquiry into the deadly fire said on Sunday that the city's management and its respective emergency services units failed the people living in Usindiso building in Marshalltown.
The commission of inquiry, led by retired judge Sisi Virginia Khampepe, opened in October 2023 after a deadly fire tore through the building on August 31.
After months of investigation, the commission said on Sunday that lives would have been saved had preventive measures been taken.
'Disrepair and danger'
"The City of Johannesburg and JPC (Johannesburg Property Company) never attended to repairs and maintenance of the building. The Usindiso building showed signs of disrepair and danger to life and property," Khampepe said.
"It became liable to be demolished within the meaning of Section 12 of the Building Standards Acts of 1977 and the report also finds that there were contraventions of the city bylaws by the city," she added.
A majority of the 77 victims of Usindiso building fire were foreign nationals.
Scores were left injured in the August 31 incident.
Illegal electricity, gas connections
Residents said that at the time of the disaster, the building had been taken over by gangs that charged fees to occupants, exploiting the tenants but also offering more affordable housing.
Residents of such buildings also rely on illegal electricity connections and gas burners, thus increasing the risks of a fire outbreak.
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