Cabinet reaffirms Saudi position of resolving conflicts through diplomatic means    Saudi FM receives message from Iranian counterpart    AlUla becomes favorite global summer destination for photography enthusiasts    Foreign Trade Authority leads Saudi negotiating team in second round of GCC-Japan FTA Talks    Crown Prince extends period of study to regulate landlord-tenant relationship to 90 days    130 charities say controversial Gaza aid group must be shut down    Inzaghi hails 'historic' Al Hilal win over Man City: We climbed a mountain with no oxygen    Milinković-Savić says Al Hilal proved critics wrong after historic win over Man City    Al Hilal stuns Man City and stirs the world: 'One of the greatest nights in Saudi club football'    Michelin Guide launches in Saudi Arabia with phased rollout in 2025    Spanish PM's former aide detained without bail in corruption probe    US skips global UN meeting in Spain aimed at raising trillions to combat poverty    Al Hilal stun Manchester City in seven-goal thriller to reach Club World Cup quarterfinals    EU and Ukraine strike less ambitious but 'realistic' trade deal    'How fragile we are': Roskilde Festival tragedy remembered 25 years on    New Social Insurance Law comes into force on Tuesday    Over 190,000 Umrah visas issued since start of the season    PIF assets soar to $1.15 trillion in 2024    Historic Jeddah's visual identity re-imagined through global art installations at Al-Arbaeen Lagoon    Brad Pitt's Los Angeles home 'ransacked', police say    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Johannesburg fire 'wake-up call', President Ramaphosa says
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 01 - 09 - 2023

A deadly fire in Johannesburg's inner city was "a wake-up call" for South Africa, says President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Seventy-four people were killed — including 12 children — after a blaze in a five-story building, which was being occupied by homeless people.
More than 50 others were injured.
Earlier, the city of Johannesburg confirmed it owned the building, but said cartels had taken it over. Officials say the cause of the deadly fire is unclear.
In a news conference at the site of the fire, Ramaphosa said the incident needed to be investigated and lessons learnt to prevent future tragedies.
"It's a wake-up call for us to begin to address the situation of housing in the inner city," the South African leader said.
The building used to be a home for abused women and children, but once the lease expired, it was "hijacked", President Ramaphosa explained to reporters.
Many properties around the area where the blaze happened have been deemed unfit to live in.
Yet these old blocks, abandoned by their owners or the city authorities, are full of families, often paying rent to criminal gangs who run them.
Some of those who use the buildings include undocumented migrants, mostly from other African countries.
The buildings, which lack running water, toilets or a legal electricity connection, are then said to have been "hijacked".
South Africa faces a chronic housing shortage, with an estimated 15,000 people estimated to be homeless in Johannesburg.
"We need to get on top of this and find effective ways of dealing with problems of accommodation, of housing, and services in the inner city," Ramaphosa added.
He also commended emergency services, who arrived at the scene 10 minutes after the fire was reported.
Johannesburg city manager Floyd Brink said 200 families were affected by the fire and "all efforts" were taken to provide accommodation.
A spokesman for the emergency services, Robert Mulaudzi, told the BBC that the fire had gutted the building but firefighters had been able to bring out some of the occupants.
He explained that because the building was not properly looked after, makeshift structures and debris had made it hard to search for and rescue people.
A video posted by Mulaudzi to the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, showed fire trucks and ambulances outside the building with burnt-out windows.
Photos from the scene showed covered bodies lined up near the burned building.
One woman told journalists she was outside the building searching for her 24-year-old daughter.
"As soon as I heard the building was burning down, I knew I had to run here to come and look for her," she said.
"Now that I'm here, I'm kept in suspense because I really don't know what is happening. I don't get any direction — so I'm actually very anxious, I don't know if my daughter is alive."
In a visit to the scene, Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda said Johannesburg officials would relocate people living in similar "hijacked" buildings in the city, and turn those buildings into social housing. "We are not going there with brute force," he told reporters, "we are trying to apply a sensitive strategy."
Asked whether his administration would take responsibility for the tragedy, Gwamanda said the government was dealing with the issue of cartels hijacking buildings, which was taking place across the city.
In the wake of the fire, many South Africans on social media condemned the online xenophobic attacks that some have made against the victims and survivors of the fire. — BBC


Clic here to read the story from its source.