South Africa Johannesburg Joburg CBD fire. 31 August 2023. A fire in a 4-story apartment building in the heart of Joburg has claimed over 70 lives and more then 40 injured. The fire started in the early hours of Thursday morning and by 10am more then 70 people were declared to have perished in it. Picture: Timothy Bernard / African news Agency (ANA)
Johannesburg - Gauteng DA leader Solly Msimanga has demanded timelines as to when the established Commission of Inquiry into the Joburg CBD fire will be concluded and its report handed over to Premier Panyaza Lesufi.
The DA in Gauteng said on Tuesday that it had noted the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry into the fire in which about 77 people lost their lives.
"The affected communities and organisations are urged to make submissions to the commission. The commission will thoroughly investigate the cause of the fire and the prevalence of hijacked buildings in Johannesburg. They will make recommendations on what must be done," the opposition party said.
The DA said that in the past the Gauteng Provincial Government had established several commissions that had not yet yielded any positive results despite money being spent on them.
"In some cases, the commission will table recommendations that the government fails to implement and hold those implicated accountable, which is a waste of the provincial coffers and denies justice for the victims," the DA said.
The DA proposed the following to ensure that the commission delivered on its mandate:
• Timelines to highlight when the commission will conclude its investigation;
• The commission report be made public;
• The commission's recommendations be implemented;
• Premier to provide feedback on the progress of implementing the commission's recommendations.
"By so doing, this will ensure value for money spent on this commission and ensure that those implicated are held to account to face the consequences of their actions," the party said.
"The commission must adhere to the timelines. We won't accept unnecessary extensions or delays that add further costs to the taxpayers and only work to protect those implicated in the Marshalltown fire."
The Star
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