The South Africa Police Service have arrested a 29-year-old man on suspicion of 77 murders after telling a public inquiry he started last August’s deadly fire in a Johannesburg building.
Last year fire gutted the Usindiso building in Marshalltown, where many poor people were residing, claiming 77 lives and leaving many injured.
The tragedy highlighted the issue of buildings abandoned or neglected by their owners in South Africa.
According to BBC, a South African Police Service spokesperson said the undisclosed suspect, would appear in court soon.
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He is also expected to face charges of arson and 120 counts of attempted murder.
The individual confessed to “being involved in starting the tragic fire” while giving evidence during a session of the inquiry, police said.
The Usindiso building was home to hundreds of people, some of the poorest people in South African society.
Such abandoned buildings are often left without basic services such as water and electricity or fire safety measures – and are sometimes “hijacked” or taken over by criminals who make demands on residents.
The City of Johannesburg owned the Usindiso building and on Monday, Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda said 188 “bad” buildings were being investigated, with 134 of them in the inner city.
The suspect was arrested on Tuesday on 77 counts of murder and 120 counts of attempted murder, said Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, a spokeswoman for the police in Gauteng Province, which includes Johannesburg. Colonel Nevhuhulwi initially gave the figure as 76 counts, but then clarified that it was 77.
The man made his confession during a hearing of a special commission investigating the fire, which tore through an overcrowded four-story building in the early hours of August 31. The commission was later told that the exact death toll was unclear because of how badly some of the bodies were burned.
“We were shocked when he incriminated himself,” said Andy Chinnah, an advocate for the victims who was briefed on the testimony by lawyers at Norton Rose Fulbright, which is representing the victims.
The public inquiry into the disaster is taking evidence on the fire and the wider issue of unsafe buildings and is due to report later this year, BBC said.
Shortly after the fire President Cyril Ramaphosa said it had been a “wake up call” for South Africa and the city of Johannesburg had to get to grips with issues around housing and services in Johannesburg’s inner city.
