1 Sep 2023

At least 74 dead in Johannesburg fire

From Morning Report, 8:15 am on 1 September 2023

At least seventy-four people, including twelve children, have died in a housing block fire in Johannesburg overnight.

The complex is what's known locally as a hijacked building - an abandoned, often derelict premises taken over by gangs and rented out to people desperate for any sort of accommodation.

The tenants are often undocumented migrant workers or people who have been homeless.

IOL South Africa reporter Kamogelo Moichela spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.