Usindiso building fire anniversary: Some believe City of Joburg failed to support survivors
Human rights activist Andy Chinnah said the city has neglected the survivors, suggesting their lives continue to deteriorate a year later.
Johannesburg emergency services attend to a fire in the Johannesburg CBD on 31 August 2023. Picture: Jacques Nelles/Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - Saturday marks exactly one year since the tragic Usindiso building fire, some believe the City of Johannesburg failed to support the hundreds of people affected by the incident.
Human rights activist Andy Chinnah said the city neglected the survivors, suggesting their lives continue to deteriorate a year later.
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The fire, which erupted in the five-storey hijacked building in Johannesburg's inner city, displaced hundreds of people and claimed 77 lives.
Most survivors of the deadly Usindiso building fire are still trying to piece their lives together, grappling with trauma and deep emotional wounds that remain unhealed.
Thirty-year-old Zabi Khumalo, who escaped the building unharmed but lost his girlfriend in the blaze, said he often dreams of the days when his life was normal.
“I wake up every day and still vividly remember the scenes from the day of the fire. Whenever I'm alone, it gets worse. I see those scenes every day, and it deeply pains me.”
Chinnah said government seemingly forgot about survivors of the deadly fire.
“It seems like the fire was yesterday because things have moved at such a slow pace. Nothing has moved. The kids are still not going to school.”
A year later, many of them are still living in appalling conditions, with some having returned to hijacked buildings.