(Graphic Content)‘Why hasn’t he been arrested yet?’ says grieving family
The family then went to the Middelburg police to ask why the suspect had not been charged.
Despite the family of Promise Motubatsi (29) telling the Middelburg Observer that the man who allegedly attacked Promise and set her on fire was in the same ICU room as her, the Mpumalanga police say the man is on the run and not in the hospital.
Promise was admitted to the Middelburg Provincial Hospital on Saturday afternoon after 80% of her body was covered in burns.
She sadly lost her life after succumbing to the severity of the wounds shortly after midnight yesterday.
It is alleged her ex-boyfriend set Promise on fire last Saturday on a farm they lived and worked on outside Middelburg.
Yesterday morning, the distressed family told the Observer they were not happy with how the case was being investigated.
They claimed they were deeply shocked to see the man who allegedly set Promise on fire sleeping less than 10 feet away from her when they went to visit her on Tuesday afternoon.
They complained to hospital management about their concerns and were allegedly told that nothing could be done.
The family then went to the Middelburg police to ask why the suspect had not been charged. The police allegedly told them that eyewitnesses were not co-operating.
READ MORE: Man wanted for setting woman alight
The family said they went to the farm where the incident happened to speak to the workers, who said they would provide the police with information.
When the Observer asked the police why the suspect had not been arrested, Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane said, “The suspect was never found in the hospital. He is still at large. The investigation is still continuing.”
The statement contradicts the family’s account.
A media enquiry was also sent to the Mpumalanga Provincial Hospital about the matter. A comment couldn’t be reached before publication.
Read more about this article in this week’s edition of the Middelburg Observer.
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