A Johannesburg man who admitted to setting fire to a crowded illegally-occupied housing block to cover up a death was charged on Thursday with arson and the murders of 77 people.
The 30-year-old suspect, Sithembiso Mdlalose, was denied bail and remanded in custody pending further investigations. His lawyer said Mdlalose would decide later whether or not to plead innocent or guilty.
In August last year, a fire ripped through an abandoned building in downtown Johannesburg that was housing dozens of families in appalling conditions. Health officials later gave the final death toll as 77, including 12 children.
Infants were thrown from upper-storey windows and many adult victims were found dead and incinerated, trapped against a security fence.
Wake-up call
It was one of the worst urban fires in recent years anywhere in the world, and was dubbed a wake-up call in South Africa, focusing concern on a housing safety crisis in the country's run-down inner cities.
This week, a man reportedly presented himself before a commission of inquiry into the tragedy and confessed to causing the fire.
The suspect, a drug user with alleged ties to a crime lord operating in the building, said that he had set a fire to cover his tracks after strangling a man during a bungled gangland punishment beating, according to an activist observing the inquiry.
In court, the suspect – a tall man in a khaki jacket and faded black jeans – stood with his head bowed and hands behind his back.
Denied bail
The case was postponed until February 1 for the state to verify Mdlalose's address and South African identity number.
"Bail is refused for you for now and you have the onus to convince the bail court of a balance of probabilities that exceptional circumstances exist for you to be granted bail," the magistrate Ulanda Labuschagne said.
Illegal occupation of abandoned buildings in downtown Johannesburg, which slumped into decay and economic decline in the 1990s, is widespread.
City authorities said the municipal-owned building in a crime-ridden area had been turned into illegal housing after being abandoned, and was possibly run by a crime syndicate who collected rent from occupants.
Investigations ongoing
Further investigations are currently under way by the state, National Prosecuting Authorities spokesperson, Phindi Mjonondwane, told the press after the hearing, warning that prosecutors cannot rely on evidence the suspect gave the commission of inquiry.
Mdlalose could face life imprisonment if he is found guilty of murder.
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