One of the residents of the Usindiso Building in Johannesburg says the delayed response by emergency services is what ultimately led to so many people losing their lives.
Tanzanian national Omari Hanya was testifying before the commission of inquiry into the deaths of 77 people killed during the August 2023 blaze.
Scores of others were left injured and displaced as a result.
Hanya told the commission that when the firefighters arrived 45 minutes after the blaze broke out, they didn’t even have water on the trucks.
“There were people who were calling them, and they came after 45 minutes, and when they got there, they did not even have water. They tried to connect the water, but they couldn’t find it. They came with no water, and they were taking water from the water pipe on the streets,” he says.
Self-confessed Usindiso building arsonist Sithembiso Lawrence Mdlalose has abandoned his bail bid at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court. The 29-year-old faces 76 counts of murder, 86 counts of attempted murder and one of arson.#MorningLive #SABCNews
— SABCNews_MorningLive (@MorningLiveSABC) February 2, 2024
Infographic explaining what we know so far about the arsonist:
MARSHALTOWN ARSONIST (31/01/2024) by SABC Digital News
