Three die following double-storey building collapse in Soweto

Three people have died after a double-storey building collapsed in Doornkop in Soweto. Three others have been rushed to hospital.

More details to follow as the story develops.

Meanwhile, the ANC in Johannesburg has hit back at ActionSA President Herman Mashaba over his comments regarding the hijacked buildings in the Johannesburg City Centre.

The ANC says Mashaba’s accusations that the current administration was negotiating with criminals is a display of intellectual dishonesty and cynical politicking of the highest order.

Mashaba had responded to Joburg Public Safety MMC Mgcini Tshwaku’s remarks that he planned to engage tenants of hijacked buildings to determine who could afford rent and prioritise negotiation over evictions.

ANC Greater Johannesburg Spokesperson Mantombi Nkosi says addressing hijacked buildings is not only a law enforcement task but a housing and development imperative.

“The ANC in the Greater Joburg region has noted with concern the claims made by ActionSA leader  Herman Mashaba accusing the city of ‘negotiating with criminals’ and lacking a plan for reclaimed  buildings. This claim is misleading and ignores his own record during his tenure as Executive Mayor.  Mashaba did not reclaim the inner city. The urban decay that Johannesburg continues to reverse is, in significant measure, a direct result of his administration’s recklessness and mismanagement,” says Nkosi.