𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝟬 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯. It’s a Thursday morning in a hijacked building in Johannesburg’s inner city. A fire breaks out on the first floor and soon sets the dilapidated building ablaze. Trapped inside, dozens of people – men, women, and children - are unable to escape the flames. In the street below, onlookers frantically call for help as people attempt to save themselves by jumping from upper-storey windows. Hours later, as rescue workers pull the dead from the debris, the scale of the disaster becomes clear. Blame is soon shifted to NGOs working in the inner city by officials denying any culpability in the tragedy. But few could argue the victims would not have suffered such excruciating deaths had the warning of at least the past two decades been heeded. The same NGOs as well as the media and several politicians had been warning of the dangers posed by Jo’burg’s hijacked buildings. Yet the problem grew unchecked and now 77 people are dead. Your favourite episodes are now available on Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/carteblanchetv