The Democratic Alliance (DA) has levelled criticism at the fragmented leadership in the City of Johannesburg and has attributed yesterday’s apartment fire, which claimed the lives of more than 70 people, to an ineffective government that has failed to take proper precautions on behalf of residents.

Thursday’s fire is another destructive incident that has rocked Johannesburg’s central business district, following last month’s gas explosion, and the DA views these as avoidable disasters.

The party has also cited issues of poverty and unemployment that are crippling the city and alluded to instability within the city council following the November 2021 local government elections.

The DA has offered the solution of holding fresh elections and highlighted that the Constitution allows for this two years after an election.

“Joburg’s plight is a valuable lesson for voters ahead of the 2024 provincial and national elections. We cannot allow a fragmented vote to plunge South Africa into the same instability and dysfunction, nor can we endure another five years of neglect and decay at the hands of the ANC. Rather, the way forward is to unite behind a new government that can build a capable, professional, people-centred State. This is the motivation for the Multi-Party Charter For South Africa - a pre-election agreement signed two weeks ago to offer South Africa an alternative with a credible path to power,” said DA leader John Steenhuisen.

The party has expressed its commitment to the Charter’s governing principles which are centred on nonracialism, upholding the Constitution and the rule of law, decentralising power to the lowest effective level of government and ensuring that the government prioritises the needs of the poor.

“In 2024, South Africans need to unite around these winning principles. The Charter is South Africa’s best, indeed only, hope for replacing chaos and suffering with progress and prosperity,” Steenhuisen said.