Lerato Mbhiza
The National Assembly will assign committees to oversee both the immediate and long-term efforts of various branches of government in response to the deadly Johannesburg fire which claimed the lives of 77 people.
Scores were also injured and treated in various Joburg hospitals.
The devastating fire broke out at a hijacked five story building in Marshalltown on Thursday night.
Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said the MPs will also investigate the conditions and safety regulations of both private and government-owned buildings.
“This effort aims to identify any gaps and ensure appropriate intervention to address deficiencies that could jeopardise the safety and lives of residents. It is of utmost importance that the conditions leading to a disaster of this magnitude are thoroughly examined and comprehensively addressed,” he said.
Mothapo said that the loss of so many souls must be a wake-up call to the city’s administration, and all metropolitan municipalities must urgently find solutions to the hijacked building crisis in major cities.
Also, there is a general need for all cities to address the huge human settlements’ pressures caused by urban migration as people look for employment opportunities in those cities,he said.
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements, Machwene Semenya said another area of improvement that the cities must focus on is the completion of projects funded through the Urban Settlements Development Grant which will assist to alleviate the pressure of demand for human settlements opportunities.
“In 2020 the National Treasury informed us that it was in the process of invoking Section 19 (1)(b) of the Division of Revenue Act which calls for the stopping of a transfer of an allocation or a portion to a municipality.
“This amounted to the National Treasury withholding R1,7 billion of the USGD to metropolitan municipalities. The committee then underscored that while there might be political challenges facing most metros’ the committee was unhappy because the USDG is meant to deliver critical infrastructure and to upgrade informal settlements and provide services with the aim to eradicate the housing deficit by placing more focus on metros as the centres of economic growth,” said Semenya.
According to the Department of Human Settlements about 72% of the total allocation of the USDG was not spent by the metros. Of the 12 045 386 voted funds for the USDG, the metros have only cumulatively spent 3 376 188.
This is despite infrastructure backlogs in those metros that experience pressures due to urban migration.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of those that perished in the fire,” said the Chairperson of the Select Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Water and Sanitation and Human Settlements, China Dodovu.
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