Usindiso building blaze survivors say they feel abandoned and forgotten

JOHANNESBURG – Survivors of the residential building where 77 people died in a fire in Johannesburg said they felt abandoned and forgotten.

At least 300 former occupants of the Usindiso building have been relocated to a temporary accommodation in Denver.

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They raised their frustrations during a mass meeting on Saturday outside the burnt building in Marshalltown.

The hijacked building went up in flames in August, killing 77 people and leaving scores others homeless.

A commission of inquiry into the deadly blaze is underway, with the first phase of the commission set to conclude at the end of March.

Frustrated survivors said that since the deadly incident took place, they felt they were dumped in Denver by the city without any proper housing plans.

A resident said the conditions at the temporary accommodation were far worse than where they lived in the Johannesburg CBD.

"We have been placed in an area that is not okay, a place that is crawling with zama zamas - the shacks can't even withstand the rain."

Another resident said while there was a commission looking into the fire, not enough was being done.

"People don't have money. People have no place to stay. We are just going there for the takeaway but the whole commission is rubbish."

The residents said while the commission continued with its work, the city needed to provide better living conditions for all those affected.