The case against 29-year-old Sithembiso Lawrence Mdlalose, a man who allegedly confessed to starting the fire in the Usindiso building while testifying at the Commission of Inquiry into the fire, has been postponed in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court to the first of February for profiling and verification of the accused’s address.
Mdlalose is facing charges of arson, 76 counts of murder, and 120 counts of attempted murder in connection with the deadly Marshalltown fire in the Johannesburg CBD in August last year. 77 people lost their lives.
NPA spokesperson, Phindi Mjonondwane, “We can confirm that we do have a confession for the prosecution at our disposal. We cannot confirm or deny whether the accused before court is a first-time offender. It’s still in the early stages of the case. Investigations are ongoing, and among those outstanding investigations is the profiling before court.”
