News articles relating to the 2023 Johannesburg building fire

Much has been written about the inner city Johannesburg building fire that broke out at the end of August 2023. It led to the deaths of scores of people, including children, and has prompted a national debate about inner city living conditions, the law relating to evictions, and the enforcement of health and safety regulations.

We have collected together a sample of some of the more in-depth reporting and commentary on the situation as it has emerged.

Reporting on the incident

• Johannesburg fire – ‘I had to jump out from the third floor with my four-year-old’ - This Daily Maverick article reports on the fire in Johannesburg's city centre, resulting in many deaths, with accounts from witnesses and survivors on the scene.
• Panicking Joburg CBD fire victims were 'squashed against closed gate' - This article from the Citizen highlights the tragic blaze in Johannesburg's CBD, which claimed the lives of people, including children, as outlined by City of Joburg MMC for public safety Dr. Mgcini Tshwaku.
• ‘The fire ruined everything’: Lives, livelihoods lost in Johannesburg blaze - This AlJazeera article tells the story of Adam Kamuweluze, who was awakened in the middle of the night by a fire in the building where he lived in inner-city Johannesburg.
• Johannesburg fire: 'The desperate search for the bodies of my sisters' - This BBC article covers the aftermath of a building fire in Johannesburg, where families are searching mortuaries for their loved ones. 
• Why were 200 people living in a building not fit for housing, Cyril Ramaphosa asks - This article from the Business Day reports on the speech by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the aftermath of the fire.
• 'There needs to be Law and Order in the inner city' - Ramaphosa on JHB CBD Fire - This Eye Witness News article discusses President Cyril Ramaphosa's response to the fire in a building in Johannesburg's city centre.
• An inquiry into a building fire in South Africa that killed 76 finds city authorities responsible - This article by the Associated Press discusses a recent enquiry into the building fire in Johannesburg, concluding that city authorities should be held responsible as they were aware of serious safety issues at the apartment block for at least four years prior to the blaze.

Commentary on the context and possible causes

• City of Johannesburg points finger at NGOs and foreign nationals after deadly fire - This Daily Maverick op-ed by Nonkululeko Njilo describes the situation leading up to the disaster, and some of the allegations and counter-statements being made by various agencies.
• A building and lives left to burn – 80 Albert Street must be remembered in this way - This Daily Maverick op-ed by Rebecca Walker reflects on the fire at 80 Albert Street in Johannesburg, which has claimed lives, recounting the history of the building and the author's experiences running an art-based project for women when it was a shelter.
• Joburg fire: City shuttered team meant to clean up blaze building - This article from Daily Maverick by Ferial Haffajee discusses the City of Johannesburg's decision to disband a task team aimed at addressing the issue of hijacked buildings, specifically focusing on the 80 Albert Street building where a fire occurred, and the challenges associated with these properties.
• Inner-city blaze — the blame lies squarely in the hands of the City of Johannesburg - This Daily Maverick op-ed by Margot Rubin talks about the City of Johannesburg and its challenges. 
• The City of Johannesburg does have an inner-city housing plan – it just hasn’t implemented it - In this Daily Maverick commentary authored by Tanya Zack and Sarah Charlton, they discuss the City of Johannesburg's inner-city housing plan
• The Johannesburg Inner City crisis: room for the poor? (PDF, 184 KB) - This statement represents a collective effort from the Inner City Resource Centre, Inner City Federation, 1to1 Agency of Engagement, Planact, and SERI. They are advocating for the prompt delivery of essential services to residents currently residing in abandoned buildings, with the aim of addressing interim safety, health, and basic needs requirements.

Coverage of the incident in various forms of multimedia

• Horror in the inner city by Carte Blanche