A man is charged with 76 counts of murder in deadly South African building fire last year

Published January 25, 2024 4:39 AM

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME
Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A man has been charged with 76 counts of murder and 86 counts of attempted murder for allegedly causing a fire at an apartment building in South Africa last year that was one of the country’s worst disasters. The suspect was also charged on Thursday with arson and will be kept in police custody until a bail hearing next month. He faces a possible sentence of life in prison. Prosecutors say the suspect, Sithembiso Lawrence Mdlalose, made a written confession. He was arrested after saying at a separate inquiry on Tuesday that he was responsible for setting the fire while trying to get rid of the body of a man he had killed in the building.

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