The Usindiso building that went up in flames nearly two years ago had a “slaghuis” — an underground torture chamber where people were taken to be beaten or killed.
These details are contained in the confession of Sithembiso Mdlalose, 31, who is on trial in connection with the deadly fire that claimed 77 lives at the hijacked building in Marshalltown, Johannesburg, in August 2023.
In his confession to police, Mdlalose said the building had a room that was known as the “slaghuis” [Afrikaans for “slaughterhouse”], where suspected thieves or disobedient tenants were taken to be “disciplined” — often with fatal consequences.
On Tuesday at the Palm Ridge magistrate’s court, senior magistrate Pieter du Plessis read Mdlalose’s full statement into the record as he was the person who recorded Mdlalose’s confession in January last year.
I saw what happened to many people who didn’t return money or explain what happened — they got tortured.
— Sithembiso Mdlalose
Du Plessis said one of the triggers for Mdlalose starting the fire was because a homeless drug user owed him R300.
Three days before the fire, he had given the man, named as “KM”, drugs to sell.
“I was to share the proceeds of the drugs with the Tanzanian drug lord master. I assumed that KM spent the money and had told the master, who was unhappy with my explanation, and [said that] I had to find him [KM] as my life was at risk. I had to prove that I didn’t squander the money,” he said.
Having found KM, Mdlalose and the drug lord took him to the “slaghuis”.
“I saw what happened to many people who didn’t return money or explain what happened — they got tortured. We found him [KM] and took him to the Usindiso building on the ground floor, where we had a room, the slaghuis, where people were tortured.
“I think I overdid the assault. I returned later, saw he was conscious, so I started beating him again. There was a kettle extension cord which I used to strangle him. I wasn’t intending to kill him, just to strangle him,” he said.
Mdlalose said he acted in a fit of rage and strangled KM to the point where he stopped breathing.
“I came back after buying the petrol and I doused his body with it. I stood near the doorway, struck a match and threw it. I had thought the fire would not spread very far,” he said.
When the trial started, Mdlalose had claimed that he was not in a sober state when he initially confessed to starting the fire.
However, Judge Cassim Moosa accepted his confession was admissible evidence.
“The court has dually considered the burden of proof upon each of the parties and indicated that it is for the state to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the statement made by the accused to the magistrate Mr du Plessis on 24 January 2024, was made freely and voluntarily without any undue influence,” Moosa said.
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