Bonisiwe Gumede briefly appeared at the Johannesburg Magistrates Court today for allegedly dousing the door of the room she shared with her partner with petrol before setting it alight. This was her second appearance following her arrest after witnesses told authorities that she started the fire at the hijacked Express Building, on the corner Nugget and Commissioner Streets, in Joburg CBD, after a heated argument with her boyfriend.

Sizwe Cele and his partner were reportedly sleeping in the room next door when they were killed by the fire that was started by Gumede. An emotional Msongelo Mnisi, who is Cele's uncle, described Gumede's behaviour as that of an animal. He said she doesn't deserve to live among us in society. "We hope that the law takes its full course and not grant her bail. A person who is reckless and commits such crimes, behaving a like an animal, doesn't deserve to be among the people,"he said, adding that he relives the trauma of identifying the bodies of both victims, which were burnt beyond recognition. "DNA swabs had to be taken from one of my nephew's to confirm his identity. There is no one that is allowed to take someone's life. Why did she have to do that because, she has cost us our loved one."

Court records have revealed that a couple, around 2019, approached the High Court in Johannesburg for an order to evict an estimated 200 illegal occupants from the building. However, this is in contrast to what the executive Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda said during his oversight visit after the fire. Gwamanda claimed that the building had no owner. The matter will be back in court for formal bail application. Gumede is facing two charges of murder, attempted murder and arson. The state said it would oppose bail.