US EditionA building marked by fire and death shows the decay of South Africa's 'city of gold'
- A fire in a Johannesburg apartment block, previously a central pass office during apartheid, resulted in the deaths of at least 76 people, including South Africans and poor foreign migrants. The building had been hijacked and left in derelict conditions, highlighting the failure of the post-apartheid government to provide for the poor majority.
- The city-owned building had not taken responsibility for the inhabitants, who lived in shacks crammed into every corner. City officials were aware of the appalling conditions of hijacked buildings but did not take the issue seriously.
- Johannesburg's infrastructure is in deep trouble, with burst water pipes, cracked roads, malfunctioning electricity supply, and trash piling up. The city's unemployment rate of 36% and the lack of housing exacerbate the growing crisis.
14 Articles
14 Articles
A building marked by fire and death shows the decay of South Africa's 'city of gold'
JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- One of the few things that survived the fire and smoke that caused at least 76 horrific deaths in a rundown apartment block in Johannesburg is a circular plaque hanging on the brown brick exterior. It has a five-sentence inscription outlining the building's history.
A building marked by fire and death shows the decay of South Africa’s ‘city of gold’
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — One of the few things that survived the fire and smoke that caused at least 76 horrific deaths in a rundown apartment block in Johannesburg is a circular plaque hanging on the brown brick exterior. It has a five-sentence inscription outlining the building’s history. No. 80 Albert Street – the scene of one of South Africa’s worst inner-city tragedies – was a central pass office during the apartheid era of racial segregation, a…
A building marked by fire and death shows the decay of South Africa's 'city of gold'
By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME and GERALD IMRAY Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The fire that killed at least 76 people last week in a rundown apartment block in Johannesburg has exposed not only the urban decay of South Africa’s “city of gold” but also a failure of its post-apartheid government to provide for many of its poor Black majority. The approximately 200 families living there were desperate for some form of accommodation and found a five-sto…
A building marked by fire and death shows the decay of South Africa's 'city of gold'
By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME and GERALD IMRAY Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The fire that killed at least 76 people last week in a rundown apartment block in Johannesburg has exposed not only the urban decay of South Africa’s “city of gold” but also a failure of its post-apartheid government to provide for many of its poor Black majority. The approximately 200 families living there were desperate for some form of accommodation and found a five-sto…
A building marked by fire and death shows the decay of South Africa's 'city of gold'
By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME and GERALD IMRAY Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The fire that killed at least 76 people last week in a rundown apartment block in Johannesburg has exposed not only the urban decay of South Africa’s “city of gold” but also a failure of its post-apartheid government to provide for many of its poor Black majority. The approximately 200 families living there were desperate for some form of accommodation and found a five-sto…
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