COURT RESERVES JUDGMENT IN USINDISO BUILDING FIRE CASE

The Gauteng Division of the High Court in Johannesburg has postponed judgment in the case against alleged Usindiso Building arsonist, Lawrance Sithembiso Mdlalose (30), to 21 July 2026. Mdlalose faces 76 counts of murder and 12 counts of attempted murder arising from the devastating fire that engulfed the Usindiso Building in Johannesburg on 31 August 2023, resulting in the deaths of 76 people and injuries to several others.

The matter was postponed to allow the State to comply with court directives and to address issues relating to certain postmortem findings that were previously raised by the court.

According to the State's case, the accused, who was a resident of the building, was allegedly involved in a violent altercation with a person known as "KB" in a ground-floor room on the day of the incident. It is alleged that Mdlalose assaulted KB over money related to drugs that KB had sold on his behalf. The assault allegedly continued until KB lost consciousness, prompting the accused to mistakenly believe that he had died.

The State alleges that Mdlalose subsequently purchased petrol, returned to the building, doused KB's body with the fuel and set it alight in an attempt to conceal evidence of the assault. The fire allegedly spread rapidly through the building, resulting in one of the deadliest tragedies in recent South African history.

Following the incident, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi established a Commission of Inquiry in September 2023, chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Sisi Khampepe, to investigate, among other issues, the circumstances that led to the deaths at the Usindiso Building.

The accused was subsequently ordered to reduce to writing, before a magistrate, a confession allegedly made during proceedings before the Commission of Inquiry, in which he detailed the events that led to the catastrophic fire.

Issued by:

Magaboke Mohlatlole

NPA Communications Officer – Gauteng Division, Johannesburg