Staff Reporter.
South African Police Services (SAPS) have arrested a man suspected of starting the fire that killed dozens of people in a building in downtown Johannesburg last year.
Police confirmed the arrest on Wednesday, a day after the 29-year-old suspect told an inquiry into the fire that he was involved in starting it.
The man is expected to appear before a Johannesburg court “soon” on charges of arson, 77 counts of murder and 120 counts of attempted murder, police said.
The blaze on August 31, 2023, ripped through the five-storey Usindiso building in Marshalltown in Johannesburg’s inner city.
The building, which was once an apartheid-era “pass laws” office and later a women’s shelter, was then “hijacked”, or taken over, and used for illegal housing.
Many of the victims of August’s blaze, including migrants from neighbouring countries, were burned beyond recognition.
Emergency services officials said at the time that most of the fire escapes in the building had been locked or chained closed that night, making the blaze even deadlier.
Many people jumped out of windows to escape the inferno, according to witnesses and health officials. Some said they had to throw their babies and children out, hoping they would be caught by people below.
It was one of the deadliest building fires worldwide in recent years.
In the aftermath of the fire, a commission of inquiry was established to investigate the tragedy.
During a hearing of the inquiry on Tuesday, the suspect – who spoke as a witness – admitted to his involvement in starting the fire.
The suspect said he had started a fire in the crowded housing block to cover up a murder he had committed, which triggered the bigger blaze. He also broke down in tears when telling the inquiry about his actions on the night of the fire.
The fire drew the world’s attention to downtown Johannesburg’s long-running problem with “hijacked” buildings, structures that have become rundown and taken over by criminal groups who charge fees for staying there.
Compiled by Lehlohonolo Lehana.