A state-owned building and one of Mthatha’s most recognisable and historical landmarks, the Windsor Hotel, has been declared unsafe for human occupation and the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) has urged people occupying it to evacuate the place as a matter of urgency.Located in the bustling Sutherland Street which connects to the R61 route, the hotel has been previously identified as one of about 120 government properties in Mthatha, among them hotels and warehouses, that had been hijacked and were now run by a syndicate.
Fairview platoon commander Lucas Thipe’s testimony on the first moments after emergency personnel responded to the Usindiso Building fire continued on Friday.
On Tuesday, commission chair Justice Sisi Khampepe announced that proceedings in part A of the inquiry into the burned-down Usindiso Building will start next Thursday.
Speaking during a media briefing in Johannesburg on Wednesday, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said that teething problems had prevented the commission from starting.