---
title: "Joburg's heart of darkness — Inside the urban housing crisis"
description: "This week, a devastating fire killed 73 people in a hijacked building owned by the City of Johannesburg. For those who live and work in the inner-city, it was a tragedy waiting to happen. Our two-part series, published in late 2022, exposed Joburg’s dark heart, where criminality and neglect are the order of the day."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "INNER-CITY BLAZE"
author: "Daily Maverick"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/dailymaverick/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-09-01-joburgs-heart-of-darkness-inside-the-urban-housing-crisis/"
published: "2023-09-01T08:02:47"
updated: "2023-09-01T08:04:29"
lang: "en-ZA"
---

# Joburg's heart of darkness — Inside the urban housing crisis

> This week, a devastating fire killed 73 people in a hijacked building owned by the City of Johannesburg. For those who live and work in the inner-city, it was a tragedy waiting to happen. Our two-part series, published in late 2022, exposed Joburg’s dark heart, where criminality and neglect are the order of the day.

By Daily Maverick · Published 1 September 2023, 10:02 SAST · Updated 1 September 2023, 10:04 SAST