The Catholic Bishops of South Africa, Botswana, and Eswatini have in a collective statement expressed “deepest condolences” to the victims of the Thursday, August 31 tragic fire that claimed the lives of at least 74 people.

“Our hearts go out to those who lost their lives, those affected by the fire, their families, and their loved ones.  In collaboration with other faith organisations, we will strive to provide the needed pastoral care and assistance,” reads the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) statement signed by the spokesperson Cardinal-Elect Stephen Birslin.

In the Friday, September 1 statement, the SACBC Bishops express gratitude to “the first responders who reached the inferno within ten minutes,” and decry the exploitation of the “homeless and the poor” by slumlords who hijack old and dilapidated buildings in and around Johannesburg’s inner city.

“The real culprits” of the tragedy that left more than 50 people injured “are those slumlords who capture such buildings and who unscrupulously exploit the homeless and the poor, forcing them to live in inhumane and dangerous situations while charging them rent for the “privilege” to live in such death traps. It is symptomatic of the widespread sense of lawlessness that prevails in our country that such illegality is allowed to happen and goes unpunished,” they say.

In the statement signed by the SACBC spokesperson, the Catholic Bishops bemoan “anti-immigrant rhetoric” expressed by some political statements regarding the residents of the Albert Street building.

“We have also been deeply disturbed by some political statements that attempt to diminish the depth of the tragedy because illegal immigrants are among those killed. Those who died were people – our brothers and sisters – and to dismiss them as “illegal immigrants” perpetuates the dangerous anti-immigrant rhetoric that is being normalised,” they say.

The bishops bemoan remarks by the Minister in the Presidency for stating that “it’s not the government’s task to provide homes for undocumented immigrants,” and describe the statement as “disingenuous in its attempt to shift blame and scapegoat foreign nationals – as if some lives are less important than others. Such a cold, un-compassionate response from a senior leader in government is profoundly disturbing.”

In their concluding remarks, the SACBC bishops say they “support the President in his call for an investigation into the root causes and we appreciate the sobriety of his statement that we are all to blame for what has happened.”