Bonisiwe Gumede stands accused of setting alight the Express building in the Johannesburg CBD, resulting in the deaths of two people, five others being injured, and over 100 families displaced.
The accused, Bonisiwe Gumede, faces two counts of murder and an arson charge after a fire she allegedly started during a lover’s quarrel resulted in the building going up in flames and two people being burnt beyond recognition.
A failed high court eviction raised the alarm on structural and fire risks posed to the unlawful occupiers of the hijacked three-storey building in 2019 but fell on deaf ears.