Alleged Usindiso building arsonist, Sithembiso Lawrence Mdlalose, has abandoned his bail application in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court. The case has been postponed to March for further investigation. The fire that engulfed the building in Marshalltown in the Joburg CBD in August last year claimed the lives of 76 people.
Mdlalose faces 76 counts of murder, 86 counts of attempted murder and one of arson. He made a brief appearance in court where the matter was postponed. He admitted to starting the fire while testifying in camera before the Commission of Inquiry into the deadly fire.
“The matter was postponed to 6 March for further investigation. It is postponed at the request of the state. They have to get J88 reports and other reports of people who passed on in the building. There is a commission matter which is completely different to a criminal case. My interest and focus is what he says in this particular criminal case,” says his lawyer Dumisani Mabunda.
There are 11 postmortem reports that are pending, as well as 30 doctors reports of some of the burned bodies.
“We have indicated in court that amongst the outstanding investigations that must be concluded, we are still awaiting a few results of the postmortem of the people that were deceased on the day. We have also given instructions to the SAPS to conduct a pointing out with the accused person. As well as the Doctor’s reports in the form of J88,” says NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane.
Meanwhile, the commission into the fire continues. A new witness has told the commission sitting in Johannesburg, of the chaotic scenes on the night of the fire, as residents scrambled for their lives.
Tanzanian national, Peter Mbwambo, is testifying. Mbwambo told the commission of his sequence of events from the night of the deadly fire.
“Before I could get out, I could see the fire and people getting out. I could also hear people saying we are dying, please open for us, so I could hear them as I was getting out. When I was outside, I also managed to hear people exit the building and we were looking at the fire and people as they were jumping out of the building.”
