Family suffers triple arson attack
A woman from Machibisa in KwaZulu-Natal, currently serving five years under house arrest for assault charges, has survived three arson attacks on her home within the past week.
Ntombifuthi Gwiliza, who was released from prison in April, after spending 13 months behind bars, suffered three attempts to burn down her home, from Wednesday last week.
She is unsure whether these attacks are a ploy for revenge following the charges she is serving time for.
In the first attempt, the arsonists tried to burn the door down, but Gwiliza managed to put the fire out. In the second fire, which occurred on Friday night, the door was completely burnt down.
The last attempt was in the early hours of Monday morning. Gwiliza, who was not at home when the incident occurred, said her and her sister’s children, aged between 17 and 19, woke up to their room on fire around 01:30 in the morning.
“They tried to find a way out of the burning house. All the furniture that was inside got burnt. Our lives are at stake now since these attacks continue happening. We don’t know what to do as we have no where else to go. This is the only home we have,” said Gwiliza.
She said fortunately, the attackers were unsuccessful as this happened few minutes after she came back from the toilet.
“I just saw fumes coming inside my bedroom and went outside to check. That is when I noticed that the door was on fire. I really don’t know the root cause of this or whether it is related to this case, since I was released in April 25. We fear for our lives. We are lucky to be alive. I just need a new place to stay as I don’t know what is going to happen from now,” she added.
Ward councillor Sibongumusa Zuma said these acts are very concerning as most people from this area are disadvantaged.
“Most houses in this ward are not in a good condition. This is because many are unemployed. Setting on fire the little one has is disheartening. We have reported the matter to disaster management to ensure that this family receives assistance,” said Zuma.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Sifiso Gwala confirmed a case of malicious damage to property was opened for investigation. No arrests have been made yet.
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