Sound investigation secures life sentence

A 22-year-old man was sentenced to life behind bars in the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court for the murder of his aunt in Florida.

This follows the hard work of investigating officer Sergeant Thabiso Malete from the Serious and Violent Crimes Unit at Florida Police Station, who ensured that the court had every lead and relevant information.

Nkosana Sean Ngonyama was initially arrested on a charge of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) for setting his aunt alight while she lay asleep in the early hours of May 31, 2023, following an argument earlier in the day. The woman’s 16-year-old daughter, who was sleeping in the same room was also injured in the fire.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority’s regional spokesperson, Phindi Mjonondwane, Ngonyama and his younger brother were living with their aunt, who assumed parental responsibility for the boys following the death of their mother in 2018.

In 2023, Nogonyama discovered that he had shares in the family home and sought legal advice on how to acquire the shares without his aunt’s knowledge, but was unsuccessful.

“On May 30, 2023, he proposed a ritual cleansing of the house, which his aunt deemed unnecessary, sparking an argument in which he blamed her for his brother’s inadequate schooling. The argument eventually subsided, and family members went to sleep,” says Mjonondwane.

“In the early hours of May 31, 2023, Ngonyama drained five litres of petrol from a vehicle, lit a candle, and entered his aunt’s room while she and her 16-year-old daughter were sleeping. He poured petrol on his aunt and set her ablaze before fleeing the scene. The screams of the victims alerted other family members, and her younger daughter (14), who was sleeping in an adjacent room, who managed to extinguish the fire using water.

“The aunt was hospitalised, but tragically succumbed to her injuries weeks later.”

Malete says the case was assigned to him after the aunt passed away and the case was converted from assault GBH to one of murder.

“I visited the crime scene, studied the crime scene photos, and re-interviewed all the witnesses,” says Malete. “During this process, I received information that Ngonyama was living with his younger brother at a shelter.

“I followed up on the information and found the brothers at the shelter.”

Malete arrested both brothers and upon interrogating them, managed to persuade the younger brother, who was outside the house at the time of the incident, to reveal the details of that fateful night.

“He told me everything,” says Malete. “Including exactly how the argument started, and how Ngonyama tapped petrol from a vehicle.

“I also found out that Ngonyama was in the process of pouring petrol on the 14-year-old sister when neighbours, hearing the screaming coming from the victim’s house, interrupted him.

“He dropped the matches on the floor and fled.”

Despite all the evidence against him and the victim identifying him before her passing, Ngonyama protested his innocence for nearly a year before he suddenly changed his mind and pleaded guilty.

“I think he realised that we had all the evidence and that there was no way for him to evade justice,” says Malete, adding that what drove him to ensure he presented a flawless case was the faces of the traumatised children, which he had to take for counselling.

“This thing will stay with them forever. You don’t just get over seeing your loved one burning right in front of your eyes.

“These children deserved justice for their mother and I was determined to see it done.”