No caring government would jump at shifting the blame to NGOs for failing to enforce its by-laws, especially when vulnerable people’s lives could be at risk.
No government worth its salt would find comfort in presenting itself as helpless with all the power vested in it by the Constitution, at a time it is supposed to be taking responsibility and leading by example.
The blame game that unfolded following the tragic deaths of 74 people in a building fire in Marshalltown, Johannesburg, says a lot about the calibre of leaders we entrust with the honour of governing this country.
But allow us to first convey our deepest condolences to the families of the deceased, and to wish the injured a speedy recovery.
That so many people perished in one incident was enough reason to suspend all the responsible City officials, the mayor included, for the failure in enforcing the by-laws that are meant to protect vulnerable citizens.
The City of Joburg should have been the first to admit it failed in its responsibility to take control of its property. It cannot say the building was leased to an NGO caring for abused women before it was hijacked.
Would this then mean that because the building was hijacked, it was no longer the City’s property? If anything, this means that Joburg is sitting with a much bigger problem and could soon see history repeating itself, as there are apparently more than 400 hijacked buildings. Hiding behind the false claim that the City’s efforts to take control of the building were hampered by NGOs that opposed its attempts in court, is cheap politicking at best, and lame and plain laziness at worst.
Surely, if that’s true, it did not take away the City’s authority to conduct inspections and issue non-compliance fines. These, as it has now become apparent, were not done until this tragedy.
Had they been, the City would have known that an “informal settlement” had developed in the parking area of the building, raising a red flag.
Had the City got the basics rights, the thugs exploiting the people’s plight while receiving rent money would be behind bars. That the City is still clueless on who these syndicates are is a tragedy on its own.
Until the City of Joburg gets its house in order, this tragedy may be the tip of the iceberg. You don’t have to guess who suffers the most.
Cape Times