'Hijacked buildings must be razed'

Inquiry finds abandoned dwellings in ‘utter disrepair’

Wooden partitions that are a fire hazard, plastic ceilings, crumbling walls, overcrowding, lack of fire equipment, running sewage and broken windows. 

These are just a few of the conditions uncovered by the commission of inquiry into Usindiso fire while inspecting abandoned buildings across Johannesburg.  

The commission was established to investigate the deadly fire on August 31 that killed 77 people and the broader issue of hijacked buildings in Johannesburg.

It is inspecting other hijacked buildings to identify patterns and propose solutions to prevent future tragedies.

One of these buildings, the Old Post Office on Rissik Street – which is a historical site – was found to be in a state of “utter disrepair”.  

This once grand building, a symbol of Johannesburg’s rich history, is now home to over 400 people living in squalid conditions.  

The interior of the building is a far cry from its former glory, with makeshift wooden partitions acting as walls, plastic ceilings barely holding up and crumbling infrastructure that poses significant risks to its occupants.  

It was also found that no proper fire equipment is installed, leaving residents vulnerable in case of an emergency.  

The building’s plumbing system is found to be disastrous, with sewage regularly spilling onto the floors.  

Evidence leader Ishmael Semenya said despite this, many of the building’s occupants still pay rent to various informal landlords, who charge anywhere between R500 and R1,500 per month.

“The rental is not fixed. The rental amount to be paid each month depends on the water and electricity bill for that month. This amount is then divided among all the households in the building.

“These monthly payments typically range from R800 to R900. But on one occasion, each household had to pay about R1,500 because the debt for that month was high.

“However, none of this money goes toward building maintenance or improving safety measures,” Semenya said.

Another building, Industry House in Doorfontein, was found to have an even more troubling situation, with an estimated 650 people living within its crumbling walls.  

Industry House is one of the most overcrowded buildings inspected by the commission, with entire families living in single rooms separated by wooden partitions.  

“The building, with its five floors, houses approximately 26 units per floor and five people per family unit. A pending eviction application has not been executed for years. The owner has abandoned the building. They have formed a committee to run the building without the owner’s consent. The occupiers do not pay any rent,” said Semenya.

The building has no working fire equipment and many of the windows are either broken or boarded up with plastic and cardboard.  

Leaking sewage pipes run through the corridors, creating a constant stench that residents endure daily.  

Most of the residents here, too, pay informal rent to building hijackers who collect money but do little to nothing to maintain the property, Semenya said.

He also explained that in many cases, the occupants are foreign nationals, refugees, or economically displaced individuals who had moved into those buildings because they offered a roof over their heads at a price they could afford.  

Europa House, located in Hillbrow, was another property flagged by the commission.  

In the report, the building, once an office complex, now houses over 500 residents.  

The situation here mirrors what was found in Industry House, with severe overcrowding and no fire safety measures in place.  

Europa House’s walls are riddled with mold, and the building’s plumbing system is virtually non-existent, forcing residents to rely on communal taps and unsanitary toilets.  

The commission found that the building has been neglected for years, and like many others, residents are still charged rent by unregulated “landlords” who have taken over the space. 

The commission made varies recommendations on the buildings that either the city moves the residents to a temporary alternative accommodation until the building was renovated or it should be considered for demolishing. 

However, the city in its input to the report stated that there was currently no temporary alternative accommodation that could house any person in distress.

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