A South African man confessed to burning down a building that killed 77 people in August while he was covering up a murder, according to a New York Times (NYT) report published Wednesday.
Police in South Africa on Tuesday arrested the 29-year-old, who has not been identified by name, on 77 counts of murder and 120 counts of attempted murder, the NYT reported. The fire erupted at a four-story building Aug. 31 in Johannesburg. The exact death toll isn’t clear due to how badly some bodies were burned.
The building was reportedly overcrowded and housed families who couldn’t afford secure housing. It’s considered a squatter building, according to the NYT, which are often overrun by gangs and drug dealers who extort the poor families for rent.
A general view of a burned apartment block in Johannesburg on September 1, 2023. More than 70 people have died in a fire that engulfed a five-storey building in central Johannesburg on August 31, 2023, the South African city’s emergency services said. (Photo by LUCA SOLA/AFP via Getty Images)
The man confessed during a hearing organized by a special commission investigating the fire, according to the NYT.
“We were shocked when he incriminated himself,” an advocate for the victims, Andy Chinnah, told the NYT. Chinnah was briefed on the testimony by lawyers representing the victims in the case, the outlet noted.
South African man confesses to starting fire that killed 77 while trying to hide murder@Mohammed11Saleh brings you @KaldenOngmu‘s report
Watch more: https://t.co/AXC5qRugeb pic.twitter.com/gSGnjoP7Sm
— WION (@WIONews) January 24, 2024
In his testimony, the suspect reportedly said he was working with a drug dealer in the building who had called him to “deal with someone” the dealer had a dispute with, the NYT reported. The man and the drug dealer took the man, with a bag over his head, into one of the offices in the building and beat him up. Once the dealer left, the suspect reportedly took the bag off of the victim and recognized him.
Bodies covered in blankets and sheets are seen at the scene of a fire in Johannesburg on August 31, 2023. More than 70 people have died in a fire that engulfed a five-storey building in central Johannesburg on August 31, 2023, the South African city’s emergency services said. (Photo by MICHELE SPATARI/AFP via Getty Images)
The suspect then allegedly strangled the man in a panic, the NYT reported. After, the suspect left to allegedly buy gas from a local gas station. He then poured gas on the body and set it on fire, according to the NYT. He reportedly further explained in his testimony that he was on drugs at the time of the incident and didn’t think the fire would spread to the rest of the building. (RELATED: Cops Seek Suspect Who Allegedly Doused Man With Flammable Liquid, Lit Him On Fire).
People watch on as firefighters work at the scene of a burned out apartment block in Johannesburg on August 31, 2023. More than 70 people have died in a fire that engulfed a five-storey building in central Johannesburg on August 31, 2023, the South African city’s emergency services said. (Photo by MICHELE SPATARI/AFP via Getty Images)
He admitted to feeling guilty as he watched a woman and her child jump out of one of the building’s windows, trying to escape the fire, the NYT reported.
“Do I believe him?” Chinnah told the outlet. “Nothing’s impossible. But right now it just doesn’t make sense for one body to be set alight and cause such a big fire.”