Burning building Johannesburg

Mike Hyland and Paul Hendler discuss the context of, as well as some immediate factors that contributed to, a fire in the Usindiso building (Johannesburg) on 31 August 2023. They also reflect on conflicting interests between five role players in this event: the Johannesburg metropolitan municipality, the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI), the legal owners of the building, the new owners of the building (through hijacking) and the tenants and occupants who suffer the dangers and indignities of dwelling in slum conditions. This is the first in a series of analytical discussions about news reporting of this particular event.