Bank of Lisbon fire: DA to present motion calling for resignations of MECs
30 October 2018
Almost two months after the tragic fire at the Bank of Lisbon building in Johannesburg, the Democratic Alliance will on Tuesday present a motion calling for Infrastructure Development MEC Jacob Mamabolo and Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa to resign.
"There needs to be accountability, not only for the fire, but for all unsafe provincial buildings that endanger staff," DA MPL Jack Bloom said in a statement.
The party is calling for Mamabolo and Ramokgopa to resign over their "failure to heed multiple warnings" that the building was a health hazard and staff should have been moved elsewhere.
Bloom said the ANC government's perpetual inaction in the face of multiple warnings was reminiscent of the "negligence and callousness of the Life Esidimeni tragedy".
Three firefighters – Simphiwe Moropane, Mduduzi Ndlovu and Kathutshelo Muedi – were killed and many others injured after the fire broke out in the building on September 5.
Last month, the DA laid charges of culpable homicide against three Gauteng MECs and heads of four provincial government departments, claiming that their "negligence" had led to the tragedy.
The party said it believed that, among other statutes, Section 38(2) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Act 85 of 1993, Section 20(2) of the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act, Act 103 of 1977, and Section 4 (1) of the Government Immovable Asset Management Act of 2007 had been contravened.
News24 previously reported that the SACP, to which Mamabolo belongs, had defended him.
"Now is not the time for politicking," provincial chairperson Joe Mpisi told News24 at the time.
Mpisi had also questioned the DA's decision to lay all the blame on provincial government leaders, while disregarding the fact that the Johannesburg building was situated in a city run by the DA.
