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Usindiso Building fire inquiry venue deemed unsafe: Gauteng government’s oversight
The Usindiso Building fire inquiry takes an unexpected turn as the hearing venue surpasses its capacity, putting lives at risk.
Madam Justice Sisi Virginia Khampepe chairs the commission of inquiry into the Usindiso Building fire that claimed the lives of some 77 people, speaks at a press conference, 17 October 2023, in Johannesburg. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
The latest entrant in the “You Cannot Make Up This Stuff” championships come, unsurprisingly, from our Gauteng government and the City of Joburg.
The venue accommodating the commission of inquiry into the devastating Usindiso Building fire earlier this year – in which 77 people died – was itself declared unsafe and a fire hazard.
Joburg’s emergency services were only doing their job in issuing a noncompliance notice to the commission – effectively closing it down.
This after the commission chair, retired judge Sisi Khampepe, allowed more people into the hearing room than the 25-person limit set by the fire authorities. There are not enough fire exits for more than 25 people.
ALSO READ: Usindiso Building fire inquiry in jeopardy over venue compliance
This is not the fault of Khampepe, either. She opened up proceedings because of the significant public interest. This is the fault of the people who arranged the venue.
Could they not anticipate that more than 25 people might want to attend? Why could they not have found a larger and better-equipped facility?
This speaks to the sort of incompetence which is in evidence in both our provincial and municipal administrations – and probably one of the reasons the Usindiso Building, which is government-owned, was hijacked by gangsters in the first place.
ALSO READ: Usindiso building fire victims allegedly told to leave by this weekend
