Marshalltown Fire Justice Campaign expects more arrests in connection with Usindiso building fire
A 29-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday after he confessed to allegedly starting the blaze, which killed over 70 people in August 2023.
A view of emergency services in the Johannesburg CBD attending to the Marshalltown building fire, which claimed the lives of 77 people. Picture: Jacques Nelles/Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - The Marshalltown Fire Justice Campaign has urged police to get to the bottom of the deadly Usindiso building blaze that killed over 70 people in August 2023.
A 29-year-old man is set to appear at the Johannesburg Magistrates Court on Thursday for allegedly starting the fire.
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He was arrested on Tuesday, shortly after confessing at the Marshalltown Fire Commission of Inquiry to allegedly starting the blaze.
Since August, authorities have been scratching their heads to determine the cause of the Usindiso building fire.
On Tuesday, a yet-to-be-identified man made the police’s job easy by confessing to the crime.
Marshalltown Fire Justice Campaign spokesperson Trevor Shaku said police needed to determine what led to him coming forward.
“The confession goes to say that he was enlisted by a drug lord who told him to go and murder that individual, so we want not only this individual but also the people behind him to be arrested also.”
The man is charged with 76 counts of murder and 120 counts of attempted murder.
The Marshalltown Fire Justice Campaign further noted that the rise of people occupying Joburg’s hijacked and dilapidated buildings is due to the city’s failure to provide adequate housing.
On Sunday, another hijacked building in the city centre caught fire, leaving two people dead and over 200 homeless.
Shaku said desperation has led to people risking their lives and staying in these buildings.
“The number of people who have registered on the city of Johannesburg for housing is 3,7 million, if you have such a number where do you think people should stay - should they go and live under trees and bridges, people choose to occupy certain buildings because that is where they ought to be?”
In the latest census data results, Johannesburg is listed as the most populated city in the country, with over 4.8 million people.