Commissioner Street fire: Owners of hijacked building say COJ misled the public

JOHANNESBURG - The owners of a hijacked building where two people recently died in a fire say the public was misled by the City of Johannesburg.

On Monday, Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda told the media that the property had no owner and that it was abandoned.

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The fire was allegedly sparked by a woman during a lover's quarrel over the weekend in the metros’ CBD.

The city is in a process of repossessing the building following a dispute about its ownership. 

However, Eyewitness News has now learnt that the building is privately owned.

The attorney representing the foreign owners of 44 Nugget Street said his clients remain perplexed by the City of Johannesburg's claims that the three-storey building had no owner.

Nigerian couple Tony and Helen Mene-Akpata purchased the property for R1.8 million in 2012.

Their attorney, Cyril Thabela, told Eyewitness News they had on numerous occasions sought assistance from the city.

“Our clients have someone who is assisting them here - he is an agent. He was also sent to the municipality on numerous times.”

Thabela said the City of Johannesburg misled the public.

“They go to the media to say the building is abandoned rather than to tell the public that the building is hijacked. It was shocking to our client to hear that.”

The city said it would approach the court for a declaration order to declare the building unsafe.