'We have to root out criminals hijacking inner city buildings' - Ramaphosa

Ramaphosa visited the scene of the Marshalltown building fire in Johannesburg on Thursday evening.

The fire claimed the lives of 74 people.

Out of the 74 bodies, 24 were identified as females, 40 as males, and 10 were an undetermined gender as the bodies were burnt beyond recognition.

Among those succumbed to their fatalities 12 were children.

Ramaphosa said law and order need to be restored.

"The lesson for us is that we have go to address this problem and root out those criminal elements because it is these types of buildings that are taken over by criminals, who then levy rent to vulnerable people and families who need and want accommodation in the city.

"In South Africa, as we move forward, poor people need to live in the city, but there needs to be law and order in the city."

He added that the government will also need to its duty, and address the housing issues in the city.

"We have got to get to the bottom of what caused this fire and also address the situation of housing in the inner city."

Meanwhile, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi announced the appointment of a committee of inquiry into the inferno.

"We don't want to witness or grow accustomed to these events, and this one is among the worst catastrophes the province has experienced in recent memory.

"In this regard, I intend to institute a committee of inquiry to investigate this deadly inferno, working with the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Ronald Lamola. The inquiry will investigate the prevalence of hijacked buildings in the city, who must take responsibility and allow us to get to the real cause of the incident."

ALSO READ