The deadly fire that engulfed a building in the Joburg CBD, killing 77 people, is graphic proof that Johannesburg is a cursed city. A tremor shook the city and its surroundings in July, followed later by a major underground explosion and now a catastrophic fire of epic proportions.
Illegal mining could trigger an earthquake and if triggered near gas and fuel lines incinerate everything within a 300m radius.
The M1 highway and the FNB Stadium could fall within range of such a frightening disaster. Fuel depots and other major industrial sites could add to the inferno that will devastate the city and major areas of Gauteng.
Key parts of Johannesburg are prone to massive collapse as illegal operations continue through a 140km labyrinth of major underground tunnels that run under the city. Derelict buildings in the city are firebombs as we clearly witnessed.
More than 100 buildings have no apparent owners, giving rise to slumlords who have no respect for our law and the welfare of the desperate.
According to reliable stats, there could be 600,000 homeless people in Johannesburg and Pretoria.
Unless there is massive intervention by those in the corridors of power, a monumental catastrophe looms ahead – the consequence will devour Africa’s largest city and send political shock waves across the globe.
Farouk Araie, MacKenzie Park, Benoni
READER LETTER | Disaster waiting to happen in Joburg
Image: iStock
The deadly fire that engulfed a building in the Joburg CBD, killing 77 people, is graphic proof that Johannesburg is a cursed city. A tremor shook the city and its surroundings in July, followed later by a major underground explosion and now a catastrophic fire of epic proportions.
Illegal mining could trigger an earthquake and if triggered near gas and fuel lines incinerate everything within a 300m radius.
The M1 highway and the FNB Stadium could fall within range of such a frightening disaster. Fuel depots and other major industrial sites could add to the inferno that will devastate the city and major areas of Gauteng.
Key parts of Johannesburg are prone to massive collapse as illegal operations continue through a 140km labyrinth of major underground tunnels that run under the city. Derelict buildings in the city are firebombs as we clearly witnessed.
More than 100 buildings have no apparent owners, giving rise to slumlords who have no respect for our law and the welfare of the desperate.
According to reliable stats, there could be 600,000 homeless people in Johannesburg and Pretoria.
Unless there is massive intervention by those in the corridors of power, a monumental catastrophe looms ahead – the consequence will devour Africa’s largest city and send political shock waves across the globe.
Farouk Araie, MacKenzie Park, Benoni
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