Protesters Set Germiston Home Affairs Building Alight as Evictions Boil Over
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In a dramatic and unsettling turn of events on Tuesday morning, the Department of Home Affairs building in Germiston, Ekurhuleni, has been engulfed in flames. Eyewitnesses report that the top floor was ablaze and firefighters battled valiantly to contain the blaze. While no injuries have been reported, the scene remains chaotic. Streets have been cordoned off, nearby buildings evacuated, and traffic diverted as emergency crews continue their efforts .
This act of arson comes amid simmering tensions over mass evictions. Residents of municipal flats in Pharoe Park—over 400 families—are facing eviction due to mounting rental arrears exceeding R200 million accumulated over the past two decades . The protests that erupted this morning are a boiling point in a long-neglected crisis of housing, poverty, and systemic neglect—a sharp reminder that desperation can ignite destruction.
What’s playing out in Germiston isn’t just about property or bureaucracy—it’s a civil plea gone up in flames. Tenants, pushed to the edge by financial strain, now face eviction, while the city contends with pressing debts. The authorities, caught in the crossfire between enforcing policy and addressing the plight of the displaced, find themselves walking a tightrope between order and empathy.
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