A man has been arrested on suspicion of 77 murders after telling a public inquiry he started last August’s deadly fire in a Johannesburg building.<\/p>\n
The 29-year-old confessed while giving evidence at the inquiry, police said.<\/p>\n
Last year fire gutted the Usindiso building in Marshalltown, where many poor people were living, claiming 77 lives and leaving many injured.<\/p>\n
The tragedy highlighted the issue of buildings abandoned or neglected by their owners in South Africa.<\/p>\n
A South African Police Service spokesperson said the suspect, who cannot be identified, is expected to appear in court soon.<\/p>\n
He is also expected to face charges of arson and 120 counts of attempted murder.<\/p>\n
The individual confessed to “being involved in starting the tragic fire” while giving evidence during a session of the inquiry, police said.<\/p>\n
The Usindiso building was home to hundreds of people, some of the poorest people in South African society.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
South Africa faces a chronic housing shortage, with an estimated 15,000 people believed to be homeless in Johannesburg.<\/p>\n