Self-confessed Usindiso building arsonist pleads not guilty to murder, arson charges

JOHANNESBURG - The man who confessed to setting fire to the Usindiso building in the Johannesburg CBD has pleaded not guilty to charges including murder, attempted murder and arson.
 
Thirty-one-year-old S’thembiso Mdlalose is standing trial in the Palm Ridge Magistrates Court.
 
In 2024, Mdlalose admitted that he was behind the blaze that tore through a hijacked building and killed 76 people.
 
He claims to have ignited the fire while trying to cover up a murder in the basement of the five-storey building.
 
Mdlalose walked into the dock for his first day of trial on Tuesday, with heavy chains tightly bound around his ankles.
 
He sat quietly behind his lawyer, as the prosecution read out the names of all the 76 people who were killed in the Usindiso building fire.
 
But when asked to make his plea, Mdlalose pleaded not guilty to all 76 counts of murder despite having confessed to starting the blaze.
 
“Mr Mdlalose, do you understand the charges against you, and how do you plead?” asked presiding Judge Cassim Moosa.
 
He answered, “I understand, my lord, and I plead not guilty.”
 
Mdlalose previously admitted to officials during the Usindiso building fire inquiry and to the State that he started the fire at the block of flats.
 
However, he now denies being behind the blaze and the murders of all 76 people.