Residents who survived the fire in the Johannesburg inner city building are still trying to figure out what to do next after losing all their possessions in the blaze.
On Thursday morning some of the shack dwellers in the abandoned building were still going through the rubble to see if there was anything that can be salvaged to help rebuild their lives.
Sandile Blose, one of the residents said the fire ravaged everything he owned including important document such as his ID.
“I have nothing left in my name. All my stuff was burnt in the fire. I’m left with just the clothes that I’m wearing. My head is confused. I do not know what to do...I really do not know what is next for me now,” he said.
Blose, who is originally from Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal, has lived in the Kaserne building since 2018. He lived alone.
The fire started on Wednesday at about 3am. It ravaged all the floors of the multi-storey building, killing eight people including an infant. One other person died after jumping from one of the floors to escape the fire. Another 11 people were injured. The fire is believed to have been started by illegal electricity as wires run all over the building. A total of 200 people have been left homeless including children.
0 of 3
According to the residents, this was the fifth fire to hit the building since 2016, when the first group of people started building shacks inside the property.
Johannesburg mayor Geoffrey Makhuba announced that the building, which is owned by the municipality, will be demolished as its structure has been compromised and that it posed danger to life.
On Thursday morning, city officials were taking down the named of the residents in order to establish the total number of people living in and around the building.
The Kaserne building has shacks built in it from the basement all the way to the fourth floor. There are also shacks surrounding the building and taxis drivers use the open spaces next to the building to park their vehicles.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.