Fire survivors still struggling

A year later, we still don't have a place to stay-former resident of building.

- Thando Nondywana

NO JUSTICE: INQUIRY FOUND CITY RESPONSIBLE BUT IT'S DONE NOTHING FOR US - VICTIMS.

After the tragic fire at 80 Albert Street in Marshalltown in Johannesburg, which claimed the lives of 77 people a year ago, the survivors are still struggling to get justice and closure.

Mike Ngulube, a Malawian national, escaped the blazing fire in the early hours of 31 August, 2023.

His wife, Joyce Banda, and one-year-old their Memory, died in the fire daughter, They died curled together in a corner from smoke inhalation after they could not escape through a locked emergency gate.

"I don't recall much of that night. Everything is still blurry.

I remember my family heading into the passage and that was the last I saw of them.

"I escaped the building via a balcony and jumped onto a tree and got down, but I don't know how I ended up in the hospital," he said.

While dealing with the tragedy, Ngulube was dealt a major blow when he discovered the mortuary had given his child's body to the wrong family.

Despite Ngulube's attempts to locate his child's grave, a year has passed without answers. He said he wants justice and accountability for the failure of the system to handle the situation properly.