Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says it is not the responsibility of the South African government to provide housing for illegal immigrants living in hijacked buildings.

Responding to questions about the Johannesburg fire that claimed the lives of at least 73 people in the early hours of Thursday, Ntshavheni said South Africa does not have a housing crisis on its hands.

Speaking during a post-cabinet briefing in Pretoria on Thursday, the minister was asked whether the government had a national strategy to deal with hijacked buildings in the country's city centres.

“The fact that it is a hijacked building does not change much, there are lives that have been lost,” she said.

TimesLIVE reported earlier that a fire broke out in a building in Johannesburg's city centre causing multiple fatalities and injuries. The death toll currently stands at 73 and is likely to increase.

Ntshavheni said President Cyril Ramaphosa has been updated on the situation and the national government stands ready to assist the Gauteng province.

“We are aware that in hijacked buildings there is no supply of electricity, water and there will be all sorts of things, but we don’t want to speculate on the causes of that fire,” she said.

“Whether it’s an indication that there is a housing problem, no it's not, because the majority of those people who stay and reside in hijacked buildings are not South African and they are not in this country legally and the government cannot provide housing to illegal immigrants.

All the national government can do is to support the departments of human settlements and co-operative governance, she said, “and in this case the department of home affairs deals with immigration in the country and the police to support the efforts of the city to deal with hijacked buildings that have been the dens of crime in our country”.

Ntshavheni referred to police minister Bheki Cele's Operation Shanela which was conducted in the CBD, saying no one was found in the buildings because the “majority of the people in the CBD are illegal in the country and therefore they cannot be there in the presence of the police, they run away”.”

The death toll currently stands at 73 and is likely to increase.

Speaking at the scene Gauteng province minister for human settlements Lebogang Maile, said the city-owned building was “hijacked” after it was leased to a nonprofit organisation meant to assist displaced women.

“It is unfortunate that we have to keep responding to situations of this nature, where a building is leased for the purpose of rehabilitating society. Because it was an NGO that dealt specifically with displaced women.”

The NGO had been shut down due to safety reasons and law enforcement operations were initiated, he said.

“A while back, it was raided by the city with SAPS and home affairs, with arrests made. It was also found that there were people who were collecting rent and therefore SA Police Service was delegated to deal with the matter.”

The municipality and provincial government will provide relief to the affected victims, Maile said.

“There will be social relief. We have already identified three buildings that the surviving victims will be allocated to. We have agreed that we are not going to deal with people on the basis of nationality. At this point, everyone who is affected will be given humanitarian assistance.

“This is a tragedy that affects people, irrespective of nationality.”

TMKsouth:


Sorry for you, as a South African you'll never find me in a hijacked building.

You're more likely to have been a victim of that fire than i am.

Do you mind explaining what a hijacked building is? Is it an abandoned or uncompleted structure?

They are ur next Door neighbors as well as those from kzn and eastern cape..
Am sure u r aware

aieromon:


Do you mind explaining what a hijacked building is? Is it an abandoned or uncompleted structure?

An abandoned building that people decide to be living or occupying it illegally.. without authorized used by the owner.

aieromon:


Do you mind explaining what a hijacked building is? Is it an abandoned or uncompleted structure?

Its a stolen building that might have been temporarily unused. Criminals take it over and charge rent for accomodation. But in return they offer very little services and soon the building turns into an overcrowded slum with no electricity, no water and no sanitation. There's said to be around 700 hijacked buildings in downtown Johannesburg.

ghettochild:
They are ur next Door neighbors as well as those from kzn and eastern cape..
Am sure u r aware

How about those hijacked houses in Rosentenville, Orange Grove and Kew that are soon turned into brothels? You know who owns those right?😉😉😉

My dear friend and brother, 74 lives were lost here, most of them are from your sister's country like Zimbabwe and Malawian, but sadly I could feel the excitement in your tone , after all they are foreigners, at times I wondered how we as blacks hate each other to this point! Humanity should comes first before anything else! Economic migration is never a crime, there are illegal migrants all over the world, with United state topping the list of the highest number of illegal migrants, anyways I can swear with anything dear to me that those 73 people were killed, it's a sabotaged , mindless, cruel! At least it makes some people happy that about 73 or more foreign nationals died ! Posterity will always judge us all in the end

TMKsouth:


How about those hijacked houses in Rosentenville, Orange Grove and Kew that are soon turned into brothels? You know who owns those right?😉😉😉

Disclaimer12:
My dear friend and brother, 74 lives were lost here, most of them are from your sister's country like Zimbabwe and Malawian, but sadly I could feel the excitement in your tone , after all they are foreigners, at times I wondered how we as blacks hate each other to this point! Humanity should comes first before anything else! Economic migration is never a crime, there are illegal migrants all over the world, with United state topping the list of the highest number of illegal migrants, anyways I can swear with anything dear to me that those 73 people were killed, it's a sabotaged , mindless, cruel! At least it makes some people happy that about 73 or more foreign nationals died ! Posterity will always judge us all in the end

Where did you pick up excitement in my tone? Please quote.

TMKsouth:


Its a stolen building that might have been temporarily unused. Criminals take it over and charge rent for accomodation. But in return they offer very little services and soon the building turns into an overcrowded slum with no electricity, no water and no sanitation. There's said to be around 700 hijacked buildings in downtown Johannesburg.

ghettochild:

An abandoned building that people decide to be living or occupying it illegally.. without authorized used by the owner.

Thanks.

I honestly believe it is a xenophobic inspired arson.
We know the average black south African hate other black africans

alpharoyalty:
I honestly believe it is a xenophobic inspired arson.
We know the average black south African hate other black africans

LMFAO, do those blacks love themselves from where they're from? . Rubbish!! You can't ask for what you can't give. Show us how to treat you by how you treat yourselves back home. Imagine this nonsense . You go around committing criminal acts and blame your host community when it all backfires.....bloody emotional blackmailers .