The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has suspended services at its Rissik Street branch in Marshalltown, Johannesburg after a blaze broke out on Wednesday afternoon.
On Thursday, the tax collecting authority’s commissioner, Edward Kieswetter, confirmed that none of staff members and taxpayers were affected by the blaze.
“The fire was successfully extinguished due to the prompt and efficient response by fire rescue services. No one incurred any serious injuries,” said Kieswetter.
SARS said the taxpayers who want to use the taxman’s services can access them virtually, noting that “in office” services have since been suspended.
“Taxpayers are urged to book an appointment for assistance via the SARS website. Those who want to visit our offices can make an appointment to visit either Randburg or Alberton branches,” said Kieswetter.
“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.”
He thanked the fire and medical emergency personnel who assisted in containing the blaze and treating the people affected.
Johannesburg emergency management services (EMS) said the cause and extent of the fire is unknown at this stage, adding that the cause is being investigated.
EMS spokesperson Nana Radebe Kgiba said the fire was contained at the basement level, which was used as a storage.
She added that preliminary investigations will be released once they have been completed.
In August, a fire killed more than 70 people in an abandoned building in the same area. Dozens more were left injured.
Even though the cause of that fire is still under investigation, President Cyril Ramaphosa, who visited the site, said Johannesburg has not had an incident like the one in Marshalltown.
“Johannesburg has never had an incident like this where so many people died as a result of a fire in the centre of the city,” said Ramaphosa.
“We’ve got to get to the bottom of what caused this fire. It’s a wake-up call for us to begin to address the situation of housing in the inner city.
“We need to get on top of this and find effective ways of dealing with problems of housing and services in the inner city.”
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