Judgment in the case against the man accused of causing the Johannesburg CBD building fire that claimed 76 lives in August 2023 has been postponed after he failed to appear in court on Wednesday.
Sithembiso Mdlalose was due to appear before the Johannesburg High Court, sitting at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court, but the Department of Correctional Services failed to bring him to court.
The absence forced the court to postpone the matter to next Monday.
Mdlalose is facing 76 charges of murder and 12 counts of attempted murder arising from the deadly fire that engulfed a hijacked five-storey building in the Johannesburg CBD.
The blaze broke out in the early hours of August 31, 2023, killing 76 people and leaving dozens of others injured.
Mdlalose previously admitted to starting the fire, claiming he had set alight the body of a man he believed he had killed during a robbery.
According to the State, Mdlalose assaulted a man known as “KB” over an alleged drug debt.
The State alleges that Mdlalose believed KB was dead before pouring petrol over his body and setting it alight on the ground floor of the building.
The flames subsequently spread throughout the building, leaving residents trapped inside.
Mdlalose made admissions on two separate occasions that he had started the fire, but later retracted both statements.
He told the court that he had been under the influence of drugs at the time and had been coerced into taking responsibility by a Tanzanian drug kingpin.
Mdlalose later claimed that he had confessed because he was homeless and believed that a prison sentence would at least guarantee him food and shelter.
