Plea for President Cyril Ramaphosa to assist with the burials of the Joburg fire victims
A group of Johannesburg volunteers and activists involved in providing relief and support to persons affected by the deadly Johannesburg fire almost two months ago, have appealed to President Cyril Ramaphosa and Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi to assist with burials of victims.
The group penned a six page letter to President Ramaphosa, Premier Lesufi, including the Mayor of the City of Johannesburg and government Ministers, detailing the plight of those who survived the fire. As they were writing the letter, the group was able to raise funds to bury one of the victims, 14-year-old Melita Mhlebi, in the Eastern Cape today.
Mhlebi was one of the 78 victims who perished in the deadly fire in Marshalltown on August 31.
The family has struggled to raise funds to release her body from the morgue and transport to the Eastern Cape for burial. Fortunately, Andrew “Andy” Chinnah told The Saturday Star in an exclusive interview that one of the board members of the Helen Suzman Foundation heard their pleas.
“The Helen Suzman Foundation paid R20 000 to the undertaker, and Melita’s body was released,” Chinnah said.
As a ritual, Melita’s body was removed from the mortuary and proceeded to 80 Albert Street, where the carnage happened for a short memorial, and it then proceeded to Queenstown, in the Eastern Cape, for a burial.
Melita is survived by her mother, Busi Mhlebi and two-year-old brother. The mother and brother suffered serious wounds while trying to escape from the fire.
As the Mhlebi’s are struggling to make ends meet, the group of activists have appealed to people to make donations to cover for other funeral needs, such as transport and food for mourners.
Melita is due to be buried in Vaal Bank, 50km outside Queenstown.
In the letter to Ramaphosa, the activists have raised concern about the rising levels of xenophobic attacks since rumours spread that most of the residents who lived at that flats were foreigners. They wrote that 78 individuals died, while the fire displaced approximately 501 people (245 households), including children as young as three weeks old. The victims not only suffered the physical scars of burns and broken legs after jumping out of the building or throwing their children out of windows to save their lives, they have also suffered the loss of as many as six family members in one incident, leaving trauma and unimaginable loss.
Expressing their concern about xenophobia, the group said in their letter to Ramaphosa that in the aftermath of the tragedy, certain politicians hastily labelled the building's occupants as predominantly ‘’illegal immigrants’’.
“However, our comprehensive assessment reveals that 206 of those who survived were South African citizens, particularly from Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Eastern Cape.
While many victims of the fire were migrants from Malawi, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe, many were also asylum seekers and refugees from these countries, which the South African government should be able to easily confirm.
“It's essential to correct this misrepresentation as it not only skews the narrative but also seems to justify a lack of response,” the group wrote.
They appealed to Ramaphosa and the Ministers to intervene urgently and to offer assistance to those who need legal documents to be in the country, including transporting bodies to their places of burial in the KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
“The aftermath of this devastating incident has inflicted immeasurable pain and suffering on its victims. Lives have been lost, families shattered, and hope dimmed.
“We cannot afford inaction. The government must rise to its duty of care in the face of one of the most significant humanitarian crises in our country's recent history. To do nothing is to accept the further loss of lives, the deterioration of victims' health, and the continued trauma that threatens to forever scar their lives,” the activists wrote.
They also said that the Hofland Park Recreation Centre, meant to be a temporary shelter, was now a symbol of despair. Overcrowded, unsanitary, and lacking basic necessities, it falls far short of providing the dignified support these victims deserve. The government's declaration of a state of disaster is a critical step, one that must trigger an immediate and comprehensive response.
“We call upon the Presidency of the Republic of South Africa and the relevant ministries to act swiftly. Address the urgent issues outlined in this memo - the documentation crisis, housing conditions, access to medical care, and the desperate need for support for those who have lost loved ones.” the activists pleaded.
All donations are managed by:
Neighbours NPO
Capitec Business
Account Number: 1050797388
Branch Code: 450105
Swift Code: CABLZAJJ
Branch Address: Mercantile Lisbon House, Ground Floor, Sandton, 2196
Reference: 80 Albert Street Fire