Ex-lover apprehended for torching house
The suspect was standing at the corner watching from a distance. He tried to flee but was apprehended by community members.
A jealous ex-boyfriend was caught by community members and handed over to police over the weekend after he torched his lover’s four-roomed RDP family house in Mamelodi east, extension 5.
Thabo Mokganya (38) said his sister and her two girls, aged five and two, narrowly escaped death.
The mother was asleep with her two children inside the house on Sunday morning when the house was set alight.
“I was sleeping when I woke up from my sister shouting for help. One of her children was trapped inside the house,” said Mokganya.
He found the community running up and down with water buckets trying to put out the fire before it spread to other rooms.
Mokganya said his sister woke up smelling smoke. She went to investigate and saw flames coming from the sitting room.
The sister ended up with burn injuries to her back and her two-year-old girl was in hospital for smoke inhalation.
Mokganya said while the community were busy helping out with the fire, the suspect was standing at the corner watching from a distance.
The suspect decided to run away, but he was caught by community members and was handed over to the police.
“The fire started in the sitting room and quickly spread to the kitchen where lots of electrical appliances and furniture were destroyed.”
The fire also spread to a bedroom and burned clothes and blankets.
“We are happy that no life was lost and everyone made it out alive. We don’t know what drove him to torch the house with my sister and her two children inside,” said Mokganya.
He said the couple were no longer together. The suspect is not the biological father of the two children.
“We are pleading with local businesses and community members to help with donations of clothes and old furniture.”
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