JOHANNESBURG — 2023 · Major Tragedy
The Marshalltown Building Fire
On the night of 31 August 2023 fire broke out in the five-storey Usindiso building at 80 Albert Street, Marshalltown, Johannesburg, a city-owned property that had been illegally occupied. Seventy-seven people died and dozens were injured in a building crowded with makeshift partitions and locked gates, home to poor families and migrants. Once an apartheid-era pass office and later a women's shelter, it had been taken over by gangs collecting rent. A 2024 commission of inquiry report blamed the City of Johannesburg and its entities. A man who confessed to starting the fire faces trial; he later retracted his confession.
- Date
- 2023
- Place
- Marshalltown, Gauteng, South Africa, Johannesburg, ZA
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Under Investigation
- Coordinates
- -26.2070, 28.0450 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 31 August 2023Fire broke out at 80 Albert Street.
- October 2023The Gauteng commission of inquiry began work.
- January 2024A witness was arrested after telling the inquiry he started the fire.
- May 2024The inquiry report blamed city officials.
Sources
- Wikipedia — 2023 Johannesburg building fire en.wikipedia.org ↗
- Daily Maverick — Usindiso blaze inquiry report lays blame at feet of City officials dailymaverick.co.za ↗
- Amnesty International SA — Statement on the fire at 80 Albert Street amnesty.org.za ↗
- Wikipedia
- Daily Maverick
- Amnesty International South Africa
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.