South African man confesses to starting fire that killed 76 while trying to hide murder

A man was arrested by the police on Tuesday (Jan 23) hours after he confessed to starting a fire in a building in South Africa last year while trying to hide a murder committed by him.

The arson was started by the man while he was trying the get rid of the dead body of someone whom he had strangled in the rundown apartment complex's basement after receiving orders from a drug dealer. The fire in the building had killed more than 76 people.

The South African man made the shocking and unexpected confession when he was testifying at an ongoing inquiry into the incidents which led to the fire at an apartment building in Johannesburg in August 2023.

The 29-year-old, whose identity was not revealed, confessed that he had killed another man by strangling him on the night the fire started, as per reports of the testimony published in the South African media.

He saidthat after the murder, he poured petrol on the body of the man and set it alight using a match, as per media reports.

Man given orders to commit murder

The man further testified that he was a drug user and was given the orders to murder the man by another drug dealer who was living in the building.

In a statement, the police said that the man was facing 76 counts of murder as well as 120 counts of attempted murder and was charged with arson.

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The inquiry in which the man testified was not a criminal proceeding and his confession regarding arson came as a surprise.

The inquiry is trying to investigate what caused the fire and the safety failures which may have resulted in the death of so many people.

At the inquiry, the man also testified that he was a resident of the building.

(With inputs from agencies)