Officials blame immigrants and liberal housing laws, but a Times investigation found the entrenched problems that turned downtown Johannesburg into a blighted tinderbox.
Tag: Johannesburg (South Africa)
‘More Than Just Rugby’: Championship Generates Harmony in South Africa
South Africans are savoring a second consecutive World Cup victory, producing a racial unity that even Hollywood couldn’t make up and an escape from the country’s troubles.
Portraits of Fire Victims: Two Toddlers Named ‘Memory,’ and a Teacher About to Wed
A picture is emerging of some of the 77 people who died when the derelict building in Johannesburg where they were living went up in flames on Aug. 31.
After South African Fire, Migrants Fear a Violent Backlash
Some survivors have been detained by the police, while politicians have lashed out at the newcomers as scapegoats for intractable problems like crime, joblessness and a housing shortage.
Officials Knew of Problems at Building That Caught Fire in South Africa
An extensive paper trail reveals that the authorities in Johannesburg were warned repeatedly about the dangers in the derelict building where 76 people died in a fire this week.
Officials in South Africa Knew About the Problems at a ‘Bad Building,’ but Did Nothing
An extensive paper trail reveals that the authorities in Johannesburg knew about the litany of dangers in the derelict building where 76 people died in a fire this week.
Filthy Toilets, No Showers and Criminal Landlords: Life in a South African Firetrap
After harrowing escapes from the apartment fire in Johannesburg that killed at least 74 people, residents described how they managed to build lives with no legal water or electricity, and very little privacy.
Identifying Victims in South African Fire Is a Grim Struggle
Families on Friday were trying to identify relatives caught in one of the deadliest residential fires in South African history, which health officials said would require DNA testing.
What to Know About the Deadly Johannesburg Fire
The blaze, one of the worst residential ones in South Africa’s history, occurred in a building that officials and locals say had become an overcrowded death trap for the hundreds who lived there.
Identifying Victims in South African Fire is a Grim Struggle
Families on Friday were trying to identify relatives caught in the blaze, a day after it consumed a sprawling settlement in one of the deadliest residential fires in South African history.