The EFF in Gauteng has lashed out at Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba over the devastation caused by a fire that swept through Alexandra destroying 500 shacks and leaving over 2000 people homeless.

The red berets accused Mashaba of not caring for the city's black residents. The party also took aim at the Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements Uhuru Moiloa.

The EFF said Moiloa should be held accountable for fires that occured in Denver informal settlement near Jeppe, Kagiso Extension 8 informal settlements, Angelo Informal Settlement in Boksburg, Tswelopele informal settlement in Tembisa, Never-Never informal settlement and Good Hope informal settlement. 

In a statement on Sunday it also lamented the lack of fire engines in the city.

" The EFF notes with dismay that the City of Johannesburg still has only 10 fire engines out of the 29 desperately needed to service the city’s 31 fire stations and over five million citizens." the statement reads.

The party said Mashaba was prioritising the removal of informal traders from the city centre, instead of prioritising the lives of it's residents who are predominately black and poor.

" We are concerned about the lack of action taken against the factories that have been built on top of fire hydrants," the party said. "We can not shy away from the fact that the biggest contributors to the uncontrollable fire is due to shortage of fire hydrants in the area..."

The party added that lack of political will has led to the housing backlog of almost two million in Gauteng.

"The EFF demands that David Makhura together with the MEC for Human Settlements fast track making serviced sites available to qualifying beneficiaries who will build houses for themselves; this will bring humanity and safety to the most vulnerable people and reduce Gauteng's housing backlog.

"Land is dignity, land is security. The people cannot continue living in hazardous squalor in their own land."