A house and a small adjacent Wendy house, allegedly notorious as the scene of criminal activities, were set alight on Saturday morning, allegedly by angry Pretoria West residents, reports the Pretoria Moot Rekord.
According to Tshwane Emergency Services spokesperson Johan Pieterse, the fire department rushed to the scene and extinguished the fire fairly quickly. He said the house was burnt but the Wendy house was only engulfed in smoke.
READ THE UPDATE HERE: Pta house torching: CPF says situation could be far from over
“Four residents in the Wendy house were evacuated unharmed. The fire was doused and the scene cleared,” said Pieterse.
He said information from the scene indicated that the house was set alight due to criminal activities. “But this is a police matter and the fire department cannot divulge anymore information,” said Pieterse.
Both IOL and News24 reported on Saturday that residents alleged the houses were sites of prostitution and drug peddling. The house is named the Doll’s House.
Pretoria West Community Policing Forum’s (CPF) public relations officer, Thesigan Pillay, confirmed the incident but said he could not, at this stage, confirm how the fire started or the motive behind it.
“Unconfirmed reports indicate that the community set alight a house in the area after suspecting drug dealings but we are still awaiting the conclusion of the police investigation. I have scheduled a meeting for later on Saturday afternoon to sit down with relevant community leaders to discuss the matter and plan a way forward,” Pillay said.
He said although the forum understood the community’s frustration, it still did not condone violence or taking the law into own hands.
“If you suspect any criminal activity, rather approach the relevant police and CPF to take the matter further,” Pillay urged.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Ann Poortman also confirmed the incident but could not give comment as to the motive.
“Police are still investigating and I will only be able to provide more detail once their investigation has been concluded,” she said.
Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Dlamini further told IOL that a case of malicious damage to property had been opened.
– Caxton News Service
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