Survivors of the Usindiso building fire are marking three years since the Johannesburg disaster as several victims remain unidentified and the criminal case over the blaze continues.
The fire swept through the overcrowded five-storey building at 80 Albert Street in Marshalltown in the early hours of 31 August 2023. Current anniversary reporting puts the death toll at 76.
eNCA reported on Sunday that the remains of several victims had still not been identified. Survivors and supporters planned a remembrance gathering in Johannesburg ahead of Monday’s anniversary.
The prolonged identification process has added another layer of grief for families already dealing with displacement, lost documents and uncertainty after one of the deadliest residential fires in South Africa’s recent history.
The state has reopened its case against Sithembiso Mdlalose, who faces 76 counts of murder as well as attempted murder, arson and defeating the ends of justice.
The charges are allegations and Mdlalose is entitled to be presumed innocent unless a court finds otherwise. His statement to the commission of inquiry and its later withdrawal form part of the contested history of the case and should not be treated as a conviction.
The commission examined conditions in the city-owned building, the circumstances of the fire and the failures that allowed hundreds of vulnerable residents to live in dangerous conditions.
TimesLIVE reported this week that the City of Johannesburg intends to put the Usindiso property out to private tender by the end of September.
Under the reported plan, 30% of the residential units in any redevelopment would have to be affordable housing. A successful bidder would also have to consult heritage authorities about an appropriate way to commemorate those who died.
The tender proposal is a plan for the property, not proof that redevelopment has started or that survivors’ housing needs have been resolved. Its terms and implementation will need to be checked once the city publishes the procurement documents.
Three years on, the anniversary keeps two issues in public view: the personal loss carried by survivors and families, and the unresolved responsibility for unsafe inner-city housing.
EBNewsDaily is using a non-documentary memorial illustration with this report. It does not depict the fire, the building’s victims or the current state of the Usindiso property.
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