Johannesburg - Joburg Transport MMC Kenny Kunene has reiterated the importance of inspecting and closing down uninhabitable and health-hazardous buildings in Joburg.
Kunene, who has been at the forefront of ensuring the safety of residents since last year, inspected the buildings alongside Dr Mgcini Tshwaku, the City of Joburg MMC for public safety.
This happened as the country was still reeling from the death of more than 77 people, including children, in a fire that rocked a 13-storey building in central Joburg.
Kunene says they aim to prevent such tragic incidents from happening by removing people from inadequate establishments.
They inspected a building on the corner of Albert and Delvers streets, next to the one that burnt, in collaboration with #Operation Restore and Operation #ManjeNamhlanje.
“Today we are just going in to inspect. We will be back with evictions and evacuations. NGO or no NGO, people have died, and now we are going to make sure that we prevent the loss of life. We are removing people from buildings that EMS has said are unsafe and uninhabitable, and are a health hazard,” said Kunene.
Tshwaku also spoke about the operation: “As you can see, the building is old and is actually a fire risk. So we want to go inside and demonstrate that there are many buildings of this nature within the city. Whenever we have to close them, when the EMS (Emergency Medical Services) goes in and closes (them), we find we are litigated as the city in terms of removing people here.
“This is Operation Manje Namhlanje, and we are in conjunction with Operation Restore, so we are going to come inside and do the inspection.
“We are also going to write a report and say this building is non-compliant, and we are going to close it.”
Following the Marshalltown fire incident, the City of Joburg EMS said the building would be sealed with police patrols for additional security.
“Following the Marshalltown fire, the structural integrity of the Usindiso building has been compromised. For everyone’s safety, including affected occupants who are looking to retrieve their belongings, the building cannot be accessed at the moment as it is unsafe.
“No further investigations can take place until the city’s engineers have deemed the structure safe,” the EMS said.
The operation has also sealed a hijacked and dilapidated building, which could cause another deadly fire.
The Star