Lerato Mbhiza
Eight small shops – at the corner of Jeppe and Polly Street – caught fire in the early hours of Wednesday morning and Joburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) have confirmed that there were no casualties reported.
It’s not clear who owns the building or whether the incident is linked to non-compliant hijacked buildings in the Joburg CBD.
There’s been growing concerns about the level of safety of some of the buildings in the city centre – after a series of fires in recent years.
The most recent case involved the Usindiso Building in Marshalltown, said to be one of the hijacked buildings, which caught fire and resulted in the deaths of more than 80 residents.
A commission of inquiry was set up to look into the Usindiso inferno and other hijacked buildings.
The first witness at the Usindiso inquiry, Johannesburg Emergency Medical Services acting chief Rapulane Monageng, cited
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