It was discovered on Wednesday that a drug user in Johannesburg had confessed to lighting a packed housing block on fire to hide a murder. The fire ended up killing seventy-seven people.
According to authorities, the 29-year-old South African was taken into custody on Tuesday after coming forward to confess to a committee set up to look into the tragedy that occurred in August of last year. Reporters were informed by a human rights observer who attended the investigation in separate ways that the man had revealed to them that he had set fire to hide a murder that had occurred during a botched gangland beating.
In August, a five-story building in central Johannesburg that had been commandeered for illegal dwellings caught fire, killing 77 people—including 12 children—and injuring several more.
One of the deadliest urban fires in history occurred in South Africa, and the tragedy reignited discussions about housing in the country’s impoverished inner towns.
Although arson was suspected, the most recent information about what might have occurred was finally revealed this week when the suspect—who seemed to be overcome with guilt—came forward.
Amnesty International rights activist Andy Chinnah, who was present at the investigation, said that the suspect admitted to using drugs and had made friends with a dealer inside the building.
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