- Editor's note: Please note that the following story contains graphic details.
JOHANNESBURG - A Johannesburg Emergency Management Services official has described harrowing scenes at the Usindiso Building fire, telling the court that desperate parents threw babies from the burning building.
Chicco Nyathi was among the firefighters who responded to the deadly blaze in August 2023.
He was testifying as the State reopened its case against murder accused Sthembiso Mdlalose.
Mdlalose faces 76 counts of murder, 12 counts of attempted murder and a charge of arson.
After the State closed its case on Monday, the court raised concerns about discrepancies in postmortem reports and the identities of some of the deceased.
The State then applied to reopen its case and called additional witnesses.
Nyathi told the court that when they arrived, the fire was still concentrated on the ground floor.
READ: 76 deaths, 76 murder charges: Judgment expected in Usindiso fire case
Nyathi also testified about confusion surrounding the identification and numbering of some of the bodies recovered from the building.
One body was initially labelled body number 16 by police before being assigned another number.
Police Colonel Manganyi, who was also at the scene, is expected to take the stand when the trial resumes on Monday.
- eNCA’s Moloko Moloto reports.