The Xaba family in Doornkop, Soweto, will be relocated following the collapse of their double-storey home, which killed three relatives on Sunday. Johannesburg officials cite environmental risks and illegal construction as key factors. The city pledges support for funerals and broader community relocation.
On Sunday, a double-storey building in Doornkop, Soweto, collapsed, claiming the lives of Hloniphile Xaba, aged 60, her daughter Nqobile, 24, and granddaughter Langelihle, just one year old. The tragedy has left the surviving family members in deep mourning, with Zinhle Xaba expressing their pain: “As the family, it’s a very difficult time. We are devastated. However, we are trying to hang in there, and we need to be strong. But we are in so much pain.”
Johannesburg MMC for Economic Development, Nomoya Mnisi, visited the family and announced their relocation due to ongoing environmental hazards. Residents had moved to the area after flooding in 2023, despite known risks. Mnisi stated that all affected residents would be resettled to a safer site nearby, where stands are being prepared. “Already the MMC for human settlements came into the area, I think two times this year. He was here to assess. There’s an area just up the road which was identified, and a proper cutting of stands will be done there. So we are looking not only to assess this family but all South African citizens who are occupying this area; they are going to be moved,” she said.
The city is providing comprehensive aid, including funeral costs, tombstones, and food parcels through partnerships. “The City of Joburg will provide assistance with graveyards through the speaker’s office and ward councillor. We also have a Joburg market entity assisting with vegetables and dry food packs, already delivered to the family. Plus, other partners and foundations have committed to cover the entire funeral,” Mnisi added.
MMC for Housing Mlungisi Mabaso highlighted the building's illegality and poor construction. “So it was an illegal structure, which was not compliant, and even how the structure was constructed, you can see there was no reinforcement of the structure, there was no slab that was there. So I don’t know how that double storey was constructed, but you will understand, because it’s in an informal settlement and it’s in an area that is not suitable for human settlement.”
Investigations into the collapse continue, amid renewed calls to report unsafe structures in Gauteng's informal areas to prevent further incidents.