Survivors feel abandoned two years on

By soot, the full and deserted remains of the famous USINDISO building in South Africa in the center of Johannesburg are an unintended memorial for 76 people who died here in a devastating fire two years ago.

At one time, the offices building was abandoned, the building of the fifties of the last century was abandoned in the Marshalown region, and then acquired several hundred people who needed a desperate house.

One of these was Vusi Tshabalala, who shakes his head in disbelief as he remembered how he survived the fire that night in late August.

“The fire appears to have not come out of anywhere,” he told the 45 -year -old BBC with a sadness, which is a deceptive thing from years of cigarette smoking.

Mr. Chapalala was asleep on the third floor of the five -storey building, as he was sharing a place with his girlfriend and brother at the time.

I woke up from the fire, they managed to escape by covering themselves in wet blankets and running in the dark towards the back.

“While we were running others, they were injured, because when they fell, they could not return. People were running over them. I thank God that we went out without any injuries.”

The tragedy shocked the nation and highlighted the inequality in deep housing in the richest city in Africa – the inequality that the authorities promised to address.

When he visited a few hours after the fire, President Cyril Ramavusa described it as “an invitation to wake up to start handling housing in the inner city.”

“We need to find effective ways to deal with the issue of housing,” he said.

But after two years, Mr. Chapalala and many others have not found a permanent house.

Initially, he was transferred to Rosettenville, three miles (three miles) south of Marshaltown, but he says he left because he could not find work there.

After that, the Denfar Industrial neighborhood, 6 km east of the Usindiso building, was tried, where other survivors were placed – but he says that repeated shootings forced him to leave.

The moment he lives under his previous home, where the other former USINDiso construction residents put shacks in an informal settlement known as Emaxhoseni.

Made of iron and wooden wood, structures are tightly mobilized together – and a few meters away, some people even prepared temporary tents on the wall of Usindiso building.

The street is dirty and the residents tell us that drainage is bad. During the summer rains, the area is overwhelmed by the area.

But for Mr. Chapalala, who is currently working on a nearbuke, it is worth living here: “I have returned because we are at least here we are getting jobs. Other places we take to, we cannot find work.”

The authorities blame not to do enough to support the survivors of the fire: “No one wants to know where people live from this tragedy.”

Some of the survivors remained in a camp prepared for them in Denver – although this does not mean that they are happy.

“This place is not safe,” says 29 -year -old Thubika Becca to the BBC.

Children play temporary corrugated iron shelters where women also wash when visiting it. There are only a few dozen portable toilets and 12 sinks for an estimated 800 people living here.

Mrs. Bella, who works as a police volunteer, explains how she was shot earlier this year because she was sleeping at her home.

“I heard gunshots. Then I was shot. I don’t know who shot me, but some players were fighting abroad,” she says, struggling to decline tears.

The bullet that came through the wall and hitting it is still in its joint. Doctors told her to try to remove him will lead to more damage.

The bullet holes that were left on the wall were covered with a convoy: “Sometimes when I see the bullets, I cry. I cry because I didn’t expect this to happen to me in my life. I cried a lot.”

Mrs. Bella is desperate to leave the camp, but she cannot afford the costs of private rent, because her volunteer role pays her very little.

She wants the authorities to transfer her because she was told that the camp was nothing but a temporary solution, but she has no idea whether she will leave.

“If the government had transferred us after six months as they promised us, then I will not blame them. But I blame them because he passed in general.

“Now when the atmosphere is cold, I can’t go to work because my wound hurts me. I have to buy pain relievers every day. My leg is in pain, I can’t stand or walk for a long time.”

Because of the safety issues, her three -year -old daughter, with her, sent her night, to live with her grandmother in Kawazolo Natal province.

“I am very afraid. They promised us that they will put gates at the camp entrance, but there are no doors. Anyone can walk here.”

The camp residents say that three people have been killed since their arrival in Denver: one of them stabbed, and another hit to death and the third divorce.

BBC contacted the city’s mayor’s office to ask them why the survivors were not transferred for two years, but this question was not answered.

Nomzamo Zondo, lawyer and executive director of the Institute of Social and Economic Rights in South Africa (Seri), a human rights organization in Johannesburg, says it was a struggle to get people out of temporary residence for temporary emergency.

She explains that, according to the national housing policy, the state must find a permanent residence for those who have been evacuated or a disaster victims, unless they can house themselves.

“In general, this does not happen. Without any affordable housing, people can move to or without any state plan to save this, it is unlikely that people will leave their temporary residence,” I told BBC.

There seems to be a lot of abandoned buildings in the center of Johannesburg that can provide permanent homes, but developers interested in renewing them and then receive rent out of the reach of many.

“At the moment when the private market brings, there is no space for the poor,” says housing lawyer.

There is some hope for improvement in the future.

With South Africa hosting the Group of Eight Group leaders in November, Ramavusa ordered that the inner neighborhoods of Johannesburg be cleaned in the city before the gathering.

It was in March – the focus was supposed to be one of the dilapidated buildings of the city.

In the City Authority Document, Mashalltown has been identified as one of the areas that will benefit from investment to ensure “the safest streets, the safer buildings and renewable economic confidence.”

Johannesburg will be “a place where Africa’s flexibility, innovation and entire capabilities are offered to the world.”

But it seems that little has happened so far and Ms. Zondo says that the permanent change will take time.

“The Group of Twenty only two months away. At that time, it is unlikely to do a lot, but our hope is that the presidency’s commitment to improving the internal city will outperform the Group of Twenty and make sure that there are generous housing for the poor and that we do not have another USINDISO,” she says. “

In response to a question about the reason for not renewing the area as promised, the mayor’s office told the BBC that the project will continue after the G20 meeting.

Meanwhile, many former construction populations are still in a state of forgetfulness.

“I don’t see this change,” Mr. Chapalala sigh.

He says, “If people still live like this,” he said, referring to men who have no shelter in tents behind him, “I do not see any change. I do not know what is happening with our government.”