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The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements, Mr Nocks Seabi, is concerned by the lack of clear action plans to resolve the increasingly hazardous living conditions in the City of Johannesburg’s inner-city buildings. The Chairperson’s concerns follow the fire in Jeppestown in Johannesburg over the past weekend that resulted in the loss of four lives.

“The lack of clear action plans to address the utilisation of dilapidated and abandoned buildings from the City of Johannesburg is concerning and will lead to more fires and loss of life. The city cannot continue to leave this challenge to fester, as it is an existential risk to the lives of the people who inhabit those buildings,” Mr Seabi said.

The Chairperson highlighted that the inability to plan and provide adequate social housing opportunities closer to economic areas was one of the critical causes of the use of these buildings. Despite the many promises made by both the city and the provincial administration to tackle the scourge of hijacked buildings, there is a lack of tangible implementation of those commitments.

Mr Seabi acknowledged the dire financial strain in government and the continued pressure due to in-migration and competing social needs. However, he highlighted that when people are subjected to substandard living conditions, this undermines efforts towards ensuring sustainable and safe human settlements. “The District Development Model proposed by the Department of Cooperative Governance can be a tool to jointly plan and implement social housing opportunities that will alleviate the current challenges. We have to eliminate the propensity to plan and implement programmes through a silo approach,” Mr Seabi emphasised.

The revitalisation of dilapidated and hijacked buildings will be beneficial because it will enhance the move towards infrastructure as a driver for economic development and will reduce fire risks associated with the occupation of buildings. It will also assist in ensuring adherence to municipal by-laws and access to human settlements closer to workplaces.

The Chairperson also called for the implementation of the recommendations made in the Khampepe Commission report, which investigated the Usindiso building fire in which 77 people lost their lives. “It is unacceptable that despite the conclusion of the report, no tangible action has been visible. The lack of clear and time-bound action plans feeds into the perception of a government that plays lip service to challenges faced by residents of the City of Johannesburg,” Mr Seabi said.

Mr Seabi called for the city and the provincial government to find workable strategies to deal with the scourge of hijacked buildings and mechanisms to provide habitable human settlements for the people.

Issued by the Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements, Nocks Seabi