SANCO urges Joburg to conduct audit of hijacked buildings
The South African National Civic Organisation in Gauteng has called on Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda to institute an audit to determine the number of hijacked buildings in the city.
The organisation's provincial secretary Mpho Sesedinyane believes this would be the first step in tackling the issue of hijacked buildings in Joburg.
At least 77 people died in a fire at a hijacked building in Marshalltown last week.
The fire has reopened the debate on so-called hijacked buildings -- old disused blocks that have fallen under the control of criminal syndicates who collect rent from squatters.
President Cyril Ramaphosa described it as "a wake-up call for us to begin to address the situation of housing in the inner cities".
"As Sanco, we are calling for the government to do an audit of all hijacked buildings. Secondly, they should check the illegal occupants and remove all illegal occupants and give them an alternative accommodation, and the government must also speed up the low-cost housing to be built next to the workplace," said Sesedinyane.
He said the loss of lives in the Joburg fire is a lesson for the city to stop accepting lawlessness.
"They must disregard all these SERIs (Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa), including the Human Rights Commission if there is a need. They must ultimately attend to these people, remove them and ensure that all the hijacked buildings are demolished. If not, they must be secured. They must turn those buildings into proper accommodations for Joburg people.”
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