At around midday on Tuesday, 29 September a fire destroyed a large residential building at 10 Mordaunt Street in Jeppestown in central Johannesburg. The fire spread rapidly from floor to floor, forcing residents to flee without their belongings.<\/p>\n
The building housed approximately 500 residents, some of the city’s poorest, who are now destitute and without shelter.<\/p>\n
Request for support<\/strong><\/p>\n Individuals and organisations are requested to help with the provision of emergency support, whether in cash or in kind, to meet any of the following urgent needs:<\/p>\n Who is coordinating the response?<\/strong><\/p>\n Bjala is a Jeppe-based social development organisation located 650 metres from the building that was destroyed. Bjala was founded in 2012 by people with from various backgrounds – including human rights law, urban development, education and community activism – who shared a common vision for social development.<\/p>\n To date, the organisation has participated in affordable housing projects, co-founded a primary school, facilitated the formation of community forums, incubated arts and culture initiatives, successfully partnered with a number of social enterprise organisations, and raised funds for a number of not-for-profit initiatives.<\/p>\n Bjala serves:<\/p>\n We look forward to working with you in relieving the plight of the victims of this unfortunate event.<\/p>\n Should you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Chantal Mann on 084 316 8763, via\u00a0chantal@bjala.co.za<\/a>, or on site at Bjala Square, 28 Madison Street, Jeppestown.<\/p>\n ENDS<\/p>\n\n
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