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The City of Joburg will demolish the Kaserne building in which nine people lost their lives in a fire last week.
The nine people, including an infant, succumbed to injuries after the five-storey building - which housed several informal settlements - started burning in the early hours of Wednesday.
Six out of the nine people that died were burnt beyond recognition.
Meanwhile, consultants have been appointed to do the reblocking and relocate the informal settlement to a nearby land that has been identified, while the taxi holding situated within the area will also be relocated to another area to create the much-needed space.
The new area will be serviced with water, sewer, and electricity.
Water tanks and chemical toilets were procured as a temporary relief measure to afford the residents of Kaserne informal settlement dignity during this difficult period.
“We will in the next few weeks, evacuate the building, for the demolition. This will pave a way for a mixed housing development. We send our sincere condolences to the families who lost their lives during this incident. May the families find solace and comfort. Please accept our most heartfelt sympathies for your loss, our thoughts are with the families during this difficult time,” said Councillor Mlungisi Mabaso, the Member of the Mayoral Committee for Housing.
“Following the walkabout, instructions were issued to offer temporary relief to the residents of the informal settlement who are being moved to a nearby soccer field where tents have been erected with relevant basic services.”
More than 100 households made of 135 individuals were affected by the blaze. The 11 other individuals that sustained injuries were taken to Charlotte Maxeke and Chris Hani-Bara hospitals for medical attention.
