The building's residents say they need help not eviction
Entering the three-storey Express Building at 44 Nugget Street in downtown Johannesburg, one is greeted by piles of rubbish and stagnant water. The walls are grimy; the passageways dark. Every window is broken and residents use cardboard, clothes and old blankets to cover the openings. Zinc sheets are used as doors and curtains and boards to create separated spaces. The building has no electricity. People use candles.
According to court papers, the building was bought in 2011 by Tony Emmanuel Meme-Akpta and his wife, who were resident in Nigeria. Nqobile Zulu, originally from Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu Natal, has lived in the Express Building since 2008. She stays in a tiny room, demarcated with cardboard, planks and curtains. She shares this space with her two daughters, eight and 16 years old, and her partner. The couple are unemployed and survive on piecemeal jobs.
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