Culpable homicide case opened against Johannesburg official over Usindiso fire

A criminal charge has been laid against the CEO of the Johannesburg Property Company (JPC), Helen Botes.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) announced a case of culpable homicide had been opened against the CEO at Johannesburg Central Police Station on Tuesday.

The information was revealed while the party was delivering their State of the City Address (Soca) to highlight the issues plaguing Johannesburg — a city that will host the G20 Summit in five months.

A preventable tragedy

The Usindiso building fire is seen by the party as a microcosm of the city’s challenges, featuring multiple administrative and infrastructural shortcomings.  

JPC is the municipal entity responsible for managing Johannesburg’s publicly-owned properties, and Helen Botes has been at the helm for 15 years.

DA Chief Whip in the city council, Nicole Rahn explained that pursuing a culpable homicide case against Botes was a “necessary and solemn” step.

The Usindiso fire tragedy claimed the lives of 77 people, with the DA claiming Botes could have prevented the fire if she had acted on multiple forewarnings.

“That building had become a ticking time bomb. Illegally occupied, unsafe and flagged repeatedly to Ms Botes as a serious risk, yet nothing was done,” said Rahn.

The whip asserted that the Khampepe inquiry into the tragedy laid the blame squarely at the feet of Botes and JPC.

“Enforcement was neglected, warnings were ignored, and a building owned by the city of Johannesburg was left to rot until it became a death trap.

“Botes, as the CEO and accounting officer, had both the authority and obligation to act. She chose not to for four years,” Rahn explained.

Municipal boards ineffective

DA Johannesburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku asked police and the Hawks to seek justice for the 77 lives lost, explaining that reports detailing the administrative failures were handed to officers.

JPC oversee 28 000 properties, and the party suggested that selling 2 000 of those would go some way to addressing the city’s R200 billion infrastructure backlog.

As well as JPC, the DA took aim at the boards of the other entities. Totalling 13 entities with 11 board members each, those 143 senior individuals are crucial to the city’s efficiency.

President Cyril Ramaphosa established a dedicated task team to guide the city toward the G20 Summit, but Msimanga stated that its members were not on the same page.

“The people who are the implementors and decision makers have not been attending the meetings. Council doesn’t even know where this whole project is at,” stated Msimanga.

With five months to go before the G20 Summit, Msimanga reiterated that the dissolution of boards would be the first step to rectifying the city’s problems.

“The establishment of a Presidential working group to assist these entities only underscores their inability to perform,” he added.

The Citizen contacted the Office of Executive Mayor Dada Morero on Tuesday for comment, but no response had been received at the time of publication.

WATCH: DA Gauteng caucus leader Solly Msimanga delivers his State of the City

Fixing Johannesburg

Fixing Johannesburg will take a large capital outlay that Msimanga says will be difficult to come by.

He stated the municipality’s Eskom debt had more than tripled in the past decade, while the city’s bill at Rand Water had more than doubled in the same time period.

The provincial leader listed the city’s financial and infrastructure challenges but stated that there was no coordinated plan between the municipal and provincial governments to address them.

The DA’s Soca outlined their vision for Johannesburg, stressing the need for investment in electricity and water infrastructure.

The party proposed scrapping property tax increases, freezing current tariffs, while repurposing city-owned properties for greater social benefit and focusing on job creation.

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