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At Least 73 Dead, 50 Injured in Johannesburg Building Fire
A fire in a Johannesburg building has killed at least 73 people, including seven children. More than 50 others were injured.
The fire broke out in a five-storey building in the city centre that had been abandoned but was being occupied by homeless people. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Firefighters were able to bring some of the occupants out of the building, but the fire quickly spread and engulfed the entire structure. The search for other victims is continuing.
The youngest of the seven children who died was 18 months old.
The city of Johannesburg has confirmed that it owned the building, but said that it had been taken over by cartels.
Disaster management officials are in the area to help provide relief for surviving residents.
The mayor of Johannesburg, Kabelo Gwamanda, has said that the city will relocate people living in similar “hijacked” buildings and turn those buildings into social housing.
He has also condemned the online xenophobic attacks that have been made against the victims and survivors of the fire.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has described the incident as “a great tragedy” and has called for investigations into the fire to prevent a repeat of such a tragedy.
He has also expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.
The fire is a reminder of the urgent need to address the housing crisis in Johannesburg and other cities in South Africa. The city must do more to provide safe and affordable housing for its residents, especially those who are most vulnerable.
Bobi Wine’s Interview Cut Short as Radio Station Mysteriously Goes Off Air
An FM radio station in Uganda abruptly went off air on Monday before an interview with the country’s leading opposition figure, Bobi Wine.
Wine, a fierce critic of President Yoweri Museveni, was scheduled to appear on Endigyito Radio’s mid-morning show. However, the signal went dead shortly after he entered the station’s premises.
The station’s manager, Bonny Maridadi, said that the station was receiving signals even though it was actually off-air. “I just got similar reports that the radio was off but at the radio station, we were receiving the signals,” he told the Daily Monitor newspaper.
Maridadi said that he did not know why the station had gone off air, but he denied that it was a deliberate attempt to disrupt the interview.
This is not the first time that Wine has been prevented from appearing on radio. In the past, government agents have blocked him from appearing on air, citing security concerns.
Wine, who came second in the January 2021 general election, has accused Museveni of intimidation and of wanting to keep people in the dark.
“Museveni never wanted us here because he does not want us to tell you the truth,” he said at a rally in the western city of Mbarara later in the day. “When I was on the radio, they switched it off… because they do not want you to listen to what I am saying but because of your power and the power of God we are here.”
The Uganda Communications Commission, which regulates broadcasting in the country, said that it was not aware of any signal interference.
The incident is the latest in a series of attempts by the government to silence Wine and his supporters. In recent months, there have been several reports of security forces attacking Wine’s rallies and arresting his supporters.
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