City of Johannesburg Members of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) Mgcini Tshwaku and Kenny Kunene have joined forces and portfolios to launch a joint operation called #ManjeNamhlanje and #OperationRestore in an effort to ensure all buildings are kept safe in the city centre.
MMC for Public Safety, Tshwaku and Kunene, the MMC for Transport, along with a number of their team members, went around the city centre on Saturday assessing the buildings that have been “hijacked”.
In South Africa, the term hijacked building relates to a government or privately-owned building that had been left abandoned and in a poor condition, but eventually taken over by criminal gangs who lease out space in the dilapidated building to desperate homeless people and foreign nationals with no place to stay.
Today 2nd September we are inspecting the building on cnr Albert and Delver str next to the building that burned. This is a collaboration of #OperationRestore and operation #ManjeNamhlanje. @MMCKennyKunene and @PublicSafetyMMC @MTshwaku are saving lives. NGO or no NGO pic.twitter.com/59254RYLAQ
— Kenny Kunene (@Kenny_T_Kunene) September 2, 2023
The MMC’s joint operation was triggered by the devastating fire that ripped through one of the hijacked buildings in the city centre, leaving over 70 dead, including children who were burnt beyond recognition.
The tragic incident took place last Thursday, in the early hours of the morning when residents of the building were trapped inside the dilapidated, unventilated five-storey building.
“We are closing these unsafe structures under joint operation #ManjeNamhlanje and #OperationRestore. We understand the risks involved, but we refuse to accept accusations of incompetence and failure. The time for action is now. We urge everyone to seek safety in the designated shelters,” said Tshwaku.
We are closing these uncompliant building , joint operation #ManjeNamhlanje and #OperationRestore , if we die we die. We are tired of being told we are incompetent and defeated by the public. We are acting now. Everyone to the shelters. pic.twitter.com/WsgkXKcwkC
— Cmsr Dr Mgcini Tshwaku, PhD (@MTshwaku) September 2, 2023
"Today we are just going in to inspect. We will be back with evictions and evacuations. NGO or no NGO, Seri (Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa) or no Seri. People have died. Now we are going to make sure that we end the loss of life. We are removing people from buildings that EMS has said are unsafe, inhabitable, and a health hazard," Kunene said.
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