South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday (September 2) urged authorities to enforce laws strictly preventing city residents from unlawfully occupying apartment blocks without violating their rights.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday (September 2) urged authorities to enforce laws strictly preventing city residents from unlawfully occupying apartment blocks without violating their rights. "Local government has to enforce the laws," Ramaphosa said at a governing African National Congress party event, the news agency Reuters reported. Ramaphosa's remarks came two days after more than 70 people died in a fire in a Johannesburg building that was occupied illegally. The five-storey building was owned by municipal authorities, but officials said it was "invaded and hijacked" by unknown groups. Investigators have not determined the cause of the blaze which is considered one of the worst disasters in South Africa. "This has given us a wake-up call, and I have said that our cities and municipalities must now pay attention to how people live. We do encourage people to live in the inner city ...but we need to do it in accordance with our laws," Ramaphosa said during Saturday's event. 'Some fire victims might have been extorted by criminal gangs' Government officials said that some of the victims of the Johannesburg building fire may have been renting from, or were being extorted by, criminal gangs in the so-called "hijacked buildings" syndicates. Meanwhile, municipal officials said that efforts to evict residents in illegally occupied buildings have been often hamstrung by court orders stopping the evictions. Reuters further reported that many such buildings have become dilapidated centres of drug trafficking and other lawlessness. Fires break out as residents rely on illegal electricity connections, gas burners, and candles. Sniffer dogs search for clues On Friday, police with sniffer dogs searched through the gutted remains of the building to look for clues. Most of the bodies of the victims were burned beyond recognition and investigators would have to rely on DNA samples from relatives to identify them, Thembalethu Mpahlaza, from Gauteng province's Forensic Pathology Services, told Reuters. Authorities urged those displaced by the fire to leave and overnight provided buses to take them to a homeless shelter. However, many chose to stay, hoping to save what was left of their belongings. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Johannesburg fire: President Ramaphosa urges strict enforcement of laws over 'hijacked' buildings

In pics | Johannesburg: Sniffer dogs search for victims after fire kills dozens, guts apartment block

At least 73 people died and 43 others were injured after a fire broke out in a&nbsp;rundown five-storey building that was occupied by homeless people and squatters&nbsp;in Johannesburg&nbsp;on Thursday (August 31). According to&nbsp;Emergency Management spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi, the blaze started early Thursday.&nbsp;Mulaudzi said it was not yet clear what caused the blaze. 
 
Seven of the victims were children, with the youngest being just one-year-old, said an emergency services spokesperson.

As many as 200 people were likely to have been living in the building, said witnesses.

Firefighters arrived at the scene and put out the flames. The building had been evacuated and search and recovery operations were ongoing. Television footage showed fire trucks and ambulances outside the red and white building with burned-out windows, which has been cordoned off by police. 
 
“The death toll may increase. The fire took three hours to contain.&nbsp;This is a tragedy for Johannesburg. Over 20 years in the service, I’ve never come across something like this,” Mulaudzi said.

<h2>Those inside building occupied it illegally</h2>

According to a report by the news agency Reuters,&nbsp;municipal&nbsp;government speaker Colleen Makhubele implied those inside had been occupying it illegally, and that the city had sought but often failed to evict squatters from such buildings.&nbsp;

<img alt="People walk past the 5-storey building after a deadly blaze on August 31, 2023." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f5d79673-1d14-404e-bd1e-73111fb093aa" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/2023-08-31T061025Z_2_LYNXMPEJ7U06N_RTROPTP_4_JOHANNESBURG-FIRE.JPG" />

Photograph:&nbsp;People walk past the 5-storey building after a deadly blaze on August 31, 2023.

They had been to blame for "not heeding to the call of the city to do the right thing..., Makhubele told the country's public broadcaster.&nbsp;"Things like this happen ... because the citizens are not willing to understand and work with us in upholding the laws and the bylaws of the city, in understanding what is safe, what is not safe," she added.

Fires are common in Johannesburg as it suffers from chronic power outages&nbsp;which cause people to&nbsp;resort to candles for light and wood fires for heat.

<img alt="Firefighters work at the scene of a deadly blaze in Johannesburg." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9025f372-0210-43ca-a035-c15b4f221636" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/2023-08-31T061025Z_2_LYNXMPEJ7U06L_RTROPTP_4_JOHANNESBURG-FIRE.JPG" />

Photograph:&nbsp;Firefighters work at the scene of a deadly blaze in Johannesburg.

As per a report by BBC on Thursday, a&nbsp;firefighter told local media that many victims were likely trapped&nbsp;by combustible shack-like structures that had been erected in the building.&nbsp;

In the wake of this tragedy, many citizens on social media condemned&nbsp;the online xenophobic attacks that some have made against the victims and survivors of the fire, BBC reported.

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At least 73 people died and 43 others were injured after a fire broke out in a rundown five-storey building that was occupied by homeless people and squatters in Johannesburg on Thursday (August 31).

At least 73 people died and 43 others were injured after a fire broke out in a rundown five-storey building that was occupied by homeless people and squatters in Johannesburg on Thursday (August 31). According to Emergency Management spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi, the blaze started early Thursday. Mulaudzi said it was not yet clear what caused the blaze. Seven of the victims were children, with the youngest being just one-year-old, said an emergency services spokesperson. As many as 200 people were likely to have been living in the building, said witnesses. Firefighters arrived at the scene and put out the flames. The building had been evacuated and search and recovery operations were ongoing. Television footage showed fire trucks and ambulances outside the red and white building with burned-out windows, which has been cordoned off by police. “The death toll may increase. The fire took three hours to contain. This is a tragedy for Johannesburg. Over 20 years in the service, I’ve never come across something like this,” Mulaudzi said. Those inside building occupied it illegally According to a report by the news agency Reuters, municipal government speaker Colleen Makhubele implied those inside had been occupying it illegally, and that the city had sought but often failed to evict squatters from such buildings. Photograph: People walk past the 5-storey building after a deadly blaze on August 31, 2023. They had been to blame for "not heeding to the call of the city to do the right thing..., Makhubele told the country's public broadcaster. "Things like this happen ... because the citizens are not willing to understand and work with us in upholding the laws and the bylaws of the city, in understanding what is safe, what is not safe," she added. Fires are common in Johannesburg as it suffers from chronic power outages which cause people to resort to candles for light and wood fires for heat. Photograph: Firefighters work at the scene of a deadly blaze in Johannesburg. As per a report by BBC on Thursday, a firefighter told local media that many victims were likely trapped by combustible shack-like structures that had been erected in the building. In the wake of this tragedy, many citizens on social media condemned the online xenophobic attacks that some have made against the victims and survivors of the fire, BBC reported. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Johannesburg: Fire kills at least 73 in five-storey building occupied by homeless, squatters