By: Natasha Archary
Survivors from the Usindiso fire who have been displaced since August 2023, are now affected by the severe flooding in Denver.
This is where temporary structures were set up for the victims, but residents living in the informal settlement say the City has “dumped them like animals” in an area that is not suitable for humans.
Those living in the area fear that the heavy rains which have been battering the city recently will collapse and wash away their informal dwellings.
Kaya News reporter Keneiloe Huma visited the community on Wednesday, 31 January to find that the informal area that they have been allocated is so far removed from the rest of Denver.
There’s no electricity, water runs into people’s homes, there’s no resources for the Usindiso fire victims to keep warm and dry.
To help with drainage around their homes, some have taken matters into their own hands and dug up holes similar to drainage systems to help rising water flow away from their homes.
The residents say they cannot rely on the City of Johannesburg to help them because they have not shown any consideration towards them since they were set up in Denver.
According to some residents who spoke to Kaya News, their structures have been erected on top of an old basement where illegal miners operate at night.
These are the victims of the fire that tore through the hijacked Usindiso building on Thursday, 31 August 2023, claiming the lives of 76 people, including 12 children.
Listen to the conversation on Point of View:
Also read: Usindiso arson suspect confesses to starting fire to conceal the murder he committed
