Inquiry told that residents suspect Operation Dudula started Usindiso building fire
The commission of inquiry looking into the Marshalltown fire heard that residents of the Usindiso building identified Operation Dudula as a possible cause of the deadly blaze.
This was in connection with the fire that ripped through the hijacked five-storey building in August, killing more than 70 people and leaving hundreds displaced.
On Tuesday, the inquiry heard submissions to have Advocate Thulani Makhubela recused as one of the commissioners presiding over the proceedings over xenophobic posts on his social media platforms.
It was revealed that Operation Dudula conducted several raids in the building, assaulting and intimidating foreign nationals.
Evidence statements collected from some Marshalltown fire victims put Operation Dudula in the hot seat as the controversial organization allegedly celebrated following the tragic fire.
It was heard during proceedings on Tuesday that Operation Dudula members danced in jubilation outside the Usindiso building in the midst of rescue efforts on the evening of the blaze.
Jason Brickhill, an attorney for the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI) of South Africa, said the organization had been named by several victims.
“The statements by residents in their supporting evidence that they suspect that Operation Dudula may have been involved in starting the fire. Chairperson, we put it on high suspicion, and the commission has not heard evidence regarding an investigation into the start of the fire.”
The commission was adjourned pending judgment on whether Makhubela would be recused as the presiding commissioner.
-EWN
In other news – Ex-Generations actress Sonia Mbele exposes her deadbeat baby-daddy
Well-known Mzansi actress Sonia Mbele has recently opened up about parenting as seen in an X (formally known as Twitter) video shared on 30 November. In the clip, she shared a story of a time she bumped into her deadbeat son’s father at a supermarket in Joburg.
The former Generations star got into detail as she shared a real story of the time she ran into her deadbeat baby daddy whom she had been with for almost a decade before their split. Read More
