The Gauteng provincial government has established a committee to centralise safety functions for all buildings accommodating its employees. The establishment of a high-level provincial occupational health and safety steering committee follows the devastating fire in the Bank of Lisbon building on Wednesday, which led to the death of three firefighters trying to contain the blaze. The building housed the offices of the Gauteng departments of health, human settlements, and co-operative governance and traditional affairs, on Sauer Street; it emerged after the fire that the building was not up to code. The Gauteng department said the committee will by chaired by department of infrastructure development MEC Jacob Mamabolo and will be constituted by heads of the departments. The function of the committee came into effect on Friday, with its priority assignment to oversee moving officials from non-compliant buildings and relocating them to suitable buildings.

The over-arching aim is ...

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