Why are buildings being hijacked in South Africa?
A former Johannesburg mayor says some buildings have been taken over by criminal syndicates who illegally collect rent money from residents. It鈥檚 known as 鈥榖uilding hijacking鈥�
鈥淲hat I saw was really traumatizing. It was traumatic to see people jumping out of a building鈥�
On the 31st of August, a fire destroyed a block of flats in the Johannesburg inner city, in South Africa.
A total of 77 people died while dozens of others remain in hospital.
The police are still investigating how the fire started.
The authorities say those who died in the catastrophe were living in the derelict and abandoned building illegally.
This is part of what has been described as 鈥榖uilding hijacking鈥�.
Africa Daily鈥檚 Mpho Lakaje in Johannesburg speaks to former mayor Herman Mashaba and constitutional law expert Pierre de Vos, to get an understanding of this problem.
Podcast
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Africa Daily
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