It bills itself as a "world-class African city" but these days residents say it's anything but — with the collapse of the water system and frequent power outages.
People desperate for housing in a country with sky-high unemployment have taken to squatting in squalid conditions in former office buildings that are rented out by criminal gangs.
Some of the people living in the building in South Africa's biggest city threw themselves out of windows to escape the blaze. As many as 200 people may have been living in the building.