Usindiso Commission report to be made public next week
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi says he has received the final report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Usindiso building fire that killed 76 people in August 2023.
The Commission, which was chaired by retired judge Justice Sisi Khampepe, was established to look into whether anyone can be held liable for the deaths at the hijacked building and the extent of abandoned properties across the city.
The fire ripped through the overcrowded five-storey building in Marshalltown shortly after midnight on 31 August.
It was later discovered that emergency exits on most floors had been barricaded, trapping many sleeping residents.
Lesufi was speaking in the Gauteng Legislature on Thursday.
"The Commission has concluded its mandate, and has submitted its report on the deadline of 30 June 2025. Next week, after consulting with Johannesburg Mayor we will publicly release these findings."
In April last year, Justice Khampepe handed over part one of the commission's report into the deadly fire.
READ: Usindiso inquiry report to be released on Sunday
At the time, Khampepe said that the City of Joburg needed to deliver basic services to the residents of the building.
"For instance, the absence of doors swinging in the direction of escape roots due to being welded together and the blocking of passageways, escape routes, and stairways is evidence of contravention of section 13 of the emergency services by-laws. The use of firefighting connections to source water for domestic use due to the disconnection of a possible water supply is evidence of the contravention of the water bylaws," she said.
The full report is expected to be made public next week.
ALLEGED ARSONIST MAKES U-TURN ON CONFESSION
In January 2024, Sithembiso Lawrence Mdlalose was charged with arson, 76 counts of murder, and 86 counts of attempted murder after he confessed to starting the fire.
When he made the damning revelation during his testimony at the Usindiso Commission of Inquiry, evidence leader Ishmael Semenya affirmed that Mdlalose’s admission could not be used in court.
However, following his first court appearance, the National Prosecuting Authority confirmed that after the police took him in for questioning, Mdlalose made another confession in line with Section 217(1)(a) of the Criminal Procedures Act.
The 31-year-old is now on trial in the High Court in Palm Ridge, where he faces a raft of charges including murder and attempted murder.
He backtracked on his confession.
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