City reaches out to hostel fire victims

The City of Johannesburg has identified land in Marlboro on which it hopes to build temporary shelters for the victims of the Madala Hostel fire.

MMC for Infrastructure and Services councillor, Matshidiso Mfikoe said city council and provincial government officials were co-ordinating efforts in this regard.

The Atrek Hall and the Alexandra Stadium change rooms have been identified as temporary shelter for the 150 affected people. City structural engineers were in the process of assessing the damage and the stability of the hostel structure for continued occupation. Johannesburg and provincial emergency services, together with Gift of the Givers were managing the distribution of relief supplies.

Mfikoe condemned the alleged domestic violence which led to the fire being started. “Violence does not solve disputes. In this instance, it has unnecessarily left many families homeless”. She hoped the law enforcement process would act harshly against any culprits found responsible for the fire.