A building involved in a fire incident in Johannesburg on Sunday morning is among the 188 structures currently under investigation for non-compliance with the city’s bylaws, says Johannesburg City Council.
Noise complaints, illegal migrants, operating a business in a residential area, and homeless people are some of the issues covered by the various municipal by-laws in the different municipalities across the country.
City spokesperson Nthatisi Modingone revealed that the majority of the building’s residents are foreign nationals.
"We want to establish if they are here legally and so forth so that we deal with those processes properly,” says Modingone.
Two people died in the blaze, with over 150 others injured and displaced.
Police say the fire was allegedly started by a woman who sprayed paraffin on her boyfriend’s shack following an argument. The suspect has been apprehended.
South Africa has seen frequent fire disasters in recent years. At least 76 people died in August last year after a fire engulfed a five-story apartment block in Marshalltown, Johannesburg.
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