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A man was detained in South Africa on Tuesday and will face 76 counts of murder after informing investigators that he ignited a devastating building fire in Johannesburg last year.
The 29-year-old claimed he caused the fire while attempting to dispose of the body of someone he had strangled at the apartment complex under the orders of a heroin dealer.
The stunning confession came during a public hearing into the fire, with the anonymous guy admitting that he poured gasoline on his victim’s body and lit it on fire.
#BuildingFire A man arrested in connection with the Usindiso building fire which claimed 76 lives in Marshalltown, is expected to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court soon. RM pic.twitter.com/yv6KHNijpH
— CapricornFM News (@CapricornFMNews) January 24, 2024
The investigation is looking into what sparked the fire and what safety failings could have led in so many deaths.
It was not a criminal proceeding, and the lawyer in charge of interrogating the witnesses stated that the man’s confession could not be used against him because it was not a criminal hearing.
The man, who lived in the building, is also charged with 120 counts of attempted murder and arson.
The blaze that swept through the building was one of South Africa’s biggest disasters, bringing international attention to the issue of so-called hijacked buildings in Johannesburg, which are abandoned by authorities and taken over by illegal landlords.
Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda says work is being done to address other buildings at risk in the inner city. But Giwusa president Mametlwe Sebei says the city has not taken any steps since the tragic Marshall Town fire.
Watch: https://t.co/jASrXBQKIk#Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/0XrsySUiC2
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) January 22, 2024
According to officials, there are many of them in the old city center, demonstrating the degradation of parts of South Africa’s largest metropolis and one of the continent’s most vital commercial engines.
The building was occupied by hundreds of individuals looking for a place to live when the fire broke out, killing 76 people, including at least 12 children.
Many of the inmates were illegal immigrants, and stories indicate that many of the survivors refused care for fear of being deported.
The High Court in Johannesburg has interdicted the Home Affairs department from deporting 32 illegal migrants who lived in the Usindiso Building. The building was gutted by a raging fire in August, killing 77 people pic.twitter.com/svlSfQwErp
— The Instigator (@Am_Blujay) December 7, 2023
It also aroused outrage in South Africa about the government’ apparent inability to prevent the illegal seizure of such properties.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa launched an investigation into the incident, which began in October with evidence from emergency personnel who reacted to the fire in the early hours of August 31.
