Phuti Mosomane
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has appointed a Commission of Inquiry into the Marshalltown fire that left about 76 people dead and many injured and homeless.
This follows Lesufi’s declaration last week that he would collaborate with Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola to appoint a retired judge to chair a Commission to examine events that lead to the tragic inferno.
This Commission will be chaired by Justice Sisi Khampepe, assisted by Advocate Thulani Makhubela and Vuyelwa Mathilda Mabena.
Khampepe recently retired as a Judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa and is currently serving as the Chancellor of the University of Pretoria.
Attorney Thulani Makhubela has more than 26 years of legal and business expertise.
He has successfully testified in numerous matters before the Labour Court, the CCMA, and the High Court as well as Regional and Magistrate courts.
Additionally, he represented clients before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Vuyelwa Mabena has been a community activist for many years. She has extensive experience working in the public sector, having served as a councilor in the Ekurhuleni Municipality as a member of the mayoral committee and an MMC in charge of environmental services.
The Commission will investigate the prevalence of hijacked buildings in
Johannesburg, what caused the deadly blaze in Marshalltown, and who
must shoulder total responsibility for this tragedy,” Lesufi said.
Lesufi said the Comprehensive Terms of Reference and Regulations of the Commission of Inquiry are being drafted and will be gazetted in due course, and the Commission is expected to report back to the Premier.
The work of the Commission will not overlap with the investigations into
the causes of the fire being carried out by the SAPS and other law enforcement organizations.
“In Johannesburg, the issue of stolen buildings is becoming a crisis, necessitating drastic action. A thorough intervention is required to ensure that disasters like the Marshalltown fire, one of the deadliest in recent memory, never happen again.
“The Gauteng Government seeks a comprehensive overhaul of all the
underlying issues that put the lives of the residents of the province in danger and the Commission is the initial step in achieving this objective.
“We urge all affected communities and organisations to make submissions and work with the Commission to get to the bottom of this intractable problem of hijacked buildings”, he added.
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