Usindiso Building Fire Commission
By Natalie Naidoo
Usindiso Building Fire Commission Concludes, Final Report Submitted to Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi. The long-awaited inquiry into the devastating Usindiso building blaze, which claimed 77 lives in Johannesburg’s CBD two years ago, has wrapped up its work, with the final report handed over to the premier on 30 June 2025, paving the way for public release next week and potential action against those responsible for the tragedy and the city’s hijacked building crisis.
Commission Delivers Comprehensive Findings After Extended Probe
The Khampepe Commission, chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Sisi Khampepe, submitted its final report to Lesufi ahead of schedule, concluding a mandate that began in September 2023 to uncover the fire’s cause, examine building hijackings, and recommend fixes for Johannesburg’s decaying inner-city structures. At a media briefing on Thursday, 17 July 2025, Lesufi confirmed receipt of the document, saying: “We are finally closing the Khampepe commission. I’ve received the report of the commission.” He added that he is studying the findings and will consult Johannesburg’s mayor before making the recommendations public next week.
The commission’s work unfolded in phases. Part A, released in May 2024, focused on the fire’s immediate cause and held the City of Johannesburg accountable for gross negligence, citing violations of by-laws like welded doors blocking escape routes, barricaded stairways, and misuse of firefighting water connections for domestic purposes. It recommended demolishing the Usindiso building – a five-storey structure in Marshalltown that had been hijacked since 2019 – and urged compensation for victims’ families, alongside urgent interventions for over 188 similar abandoned properties across the CBD. Part B delved into the broader syndicate behind building hijackings, hearing testimonies that implicated some municipal councillors in facilitating these takeovers through corruption and inaction.
The final report consolidates these elements, offering factual findings, lessons learned, and actionable recommendations to prevent future disasters. While full details remain under wraps until release, it is expected to reinforce calls for accountability, including probes into city officials and syndicates profiting from slum-like conditions in hijacked buildings. Lesufi has hinted at implementing changes based on the document, stressing the need to address root causes like urban decay and illegal occupations that turned Usindiso into a de facto slum housing over 400 people in unsafe shacks.
The Tragic Night and Immediate Aftermath
The fire erupted shortly after midnight on 31 August 2023, ripping through the overcrowded Usindiso Ministries building – originally a women’s shelter owned by the City but abandoned and hijacked years earlier. Flames trapped residents in a maze of informal partitions, with many jumping from windows or perishing in the blaze, resulting in 77 deaths – including 12 children – and 88 injuries. Survivors described chaos: barricaded exits, no fire alarms, and smoke-filled hallways that turned the structure into a death trap.
Early in the inquiry, in October 2023, Sthembiso Lawrence Mdlalose, a 31-year-old resident known as “Ngoma,” confessed to starting the fire to cover up a murder. He admitted beating a fellow resident to death over a drug debt, then dousing the body with petrol and igniting it in an informal shop on the ground floor. However, forensic analysis found no traces of flammable liquids in the rubble, raising questions about the blaze’s spread. Mdlalose later backtracked on his confession but faces trial in the Palm Ridge High Court on 76 counts of murder, 86 of attempted murder, arson, and immigration violations, with proceedings ongoing as of May 2025.
Broader Implications for Johannesburg’s Hijacked Buildings
The inquiry exposed systemic failures, revealing how Usindiso – meant for vulnerable women – was overtaken by criminal syndicates charging illegal rents in squalid conditions. Testimonies implicated councillors in enabling hijackings, with some allegedly taking bribes to ignore complaints or delay evictions. The commission heard from experts like migration governance specialist Alan Hirsch, who highlighted how poor enforcement and urban poverty fuel such crises.
Part A findings slammed the City for disconnecting services, failing inspections, and neglecting by-laws, directly contributing to the fire’s lethality. Recommendations included immediate audits of similar buildings, compensation for survivors – many of whom remain displaced in temporary shelters – and stricter regulations on property ownership. However, groups like the Marshalltown Fire Justice Campaign have lamented the lack of explicit compensation directives in earlier reports, urging Lesufi to prioritise victims’ needs.
One year on, in August 2024, survivors felt abandoned, with promises of housing unfulfilled and the site still a charred reminder of neglect. The City has floated plans to redevelop the block for offices, but critics argue this ignores accountability and victims’ calls for memorialisation or affordable housing.
Path Forward: Accountability and Prevention
Lesufi’s announcement brings closure to a probe that cost millions and heard from over 50 witnesses, including firefighters, residents, and officials. The final report is poised to influence policy, potentially leading to legal action against implicated parties and reforms to tackle Johannesburg’s estimated 200 hijacked buildings. Advocacy groups welcome the release but demand swift implementation, warning that without change, another tragedy looms in the city’s overlooked corners.
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