Hostel residents invade temp accommodation for Usindiso fire survivors in Denver

JOHANNESBURG - Temporary accommodation shelters constructed for survivors of the deadly Usindiso building fire in Denver have been invaded by residents of a nearby hostel.

In 2023, the City of Johannesburg constructed over 130 structures to house the survivors, but Eyewitness News has now learnt that less than 20 of them are occupied by the victims.

They were relocated to the shelters by the city after they were displaced following the fire that killed 77 people.

While Saturday marks a year since survivors of the Usindiso building fire were displaced, a majority of them still live under inhumane conditions.

READ: Some Usindiso building fire survivors now living in informal settlement behind old structure

Twenty-nine-year-old Thobeka Biyela, who is among the few victims living at the shelters in Denver, said it hurts to see residents of the Usindiso building living in squalor.

"There are children from the building who live in the streets with their parents. I often see them in town. It’s very painful to see them in that state."

Human rights activist, Andy Chinnah, who has worked closely with the survivors, said most of them remained homeless a full year later.

"Many of the people from Usindiso have moved back into the city to live under bridges because of the distance to the economic hub."

Eyewitness News has visited the shelters, and they’ve become home to residents of the Denver men’s hostel.