The 2024 Broadwalk Urban Village fire incident in Halfway House, Midrand, was traced to an appliance that had been left switched on inside one of the units.
This is according to Broadwalk’s response to the publication, which stated that the investigation found no fault on the part of the landlord, managing agent, or the building itself.
The fire, which occurred on Heritage Day last year, resulted in the death of one woman. There were allegations that the 130 apartments had been converted from an office park into residential units.
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“Office-to-residential conversions are well established in South Africa. Like all property developments, they require planning consent. The relevant authorities certified that the building was fully compliant,” said Broadwalk, through its PR company, Catchwords.
Owned by Dipula Properties and managed by Mafadi Property Management, the building appears to have been abandoned since the fire, with no visible activity on site to indicate refurbishment.
However, Broadwalk stated that various options for the property’s future use were currently under review.
“Any redevelopment will depend on commercial assessment, take extensive planning, and require approvals from internal stakeholders and external bodies. In the meantime, the site has been secured, including on-site guards,” the company added.
Former tenant Berrie Munonoka had accused Dipula and Mafadi of neglecting tenants in the aftermath of the disaster.
Broadwalk responded by stating that the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords in such situations were clearly outlined in lease agreements and in South African law.
“In line with these obligations, the landlord and managing agent acted immediately to ensure safety, stop charging rent, refund deposits and prepaid rent, inform tenants of the situation, and cancel leases without penalty. All this was completed within days of the fire.
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“Even so, we went beyond our legal obligations, voluntarily assisting in practical ways, such as arranging immediate emergency accommodation, referring former tenants to other landlords with available units on favourable terms, and supporting access to community relief efforts.”
Broadwalk further stated that different forms of property occupancy – including leasing, social housing, sectional title, and freehold – carried different rights and responsibilities.
It added that tenants in leased properties, such as this one, were typically responsible for their own insurance covering contents, temporary housing, and related costs. This was also expressly stated in the lease agreements for the property.
Although the publication has a copy of a lawsuit filed against Dipula and Mafadi by the tenants, Broadwalk denied any knowledge of it, stating, “We are not aware of any summons claiming damages having been instituted.”
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