KINROSS – A Kinross teenager is suspected of setting fire to her mother’s house in Thistle Grove in the early hours of Thursday morning, 24 January.
The charred remains of couches, beds, curtains and a thick layer of smoke and soot on the walls and surfaces in the house are stark reminders of the family tragedy that played out in this home during the night.
According to sources, the teenager and her mother argued on Wednesday evening and in a fit of anger the child grabbed a pot or kettle with boiling water and threw it at the mother.
The mom allegedly fled to the bathroom from where she called an ambulance and the police.
She sustained burns on her arms and chest. ER24 paramedics treated the mother and took her the Mediclinic Highveld.
They were scarcely done with the mother when another call to the same address came through alerting them of two people who inhaled smoke.
It was in this time that the teen allegedly set fire to the couches and beds in the house, and then hid in the closet with her little sister.
She apparently forced her four-year-old sister onto her lap and held a knife to the child’s chest.
The teenager held her sibling hostage and threatened to kill the child if anyone dared to enter the house.
Firefighters extinguished the flames that had spread due to an unidentified acceleration.
They found the two children in the closet.
The teenager and her sister were also rushed to the Mediclinic Highveld for treatment of smoke inhalation.
Due to the fact that the teenager is a minor, the police’s unit dealing with Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) is investigating the case.
The teenager was arrested and appeared in the Child Justice Court on Monday, 28 January and again on Tuesday 29 January.
Capt. Liz Koekemoer, commander of the FCS said their investigation is not yet finished and they must still decide if the teen has to undergo psychiatric evaluation.
She currently remains in police custody.
Readers reacted to the initial story on the Echo/Ridge’s Facebook page with dismay.
The majority of comments touched on spiritual and moral decay in society.
Mr Fistoz Malaza appealed to the pastors in the Govan Mbeki municipal area to engage in prayer.
“The place needs serious prayer.”
Ms Palesa Poto-Tsoaelo said: “We need to pray for God’s intervention in our children’s lives.
“The evil spirits are targeting our young generation. I have never seen something like this before, I am traumatised.”
Also read:
https://www.citizen.co.za/ridge-times/131195/teenager-allegedly-torches-family-home-kinross/
