Mpumalanga mother in court for torching home with infant inside
A 28-year-old woman from Mpumalanga is expected to appear in the Emalahleni Magistrate's Court on Tuesday for setting her home alight with her seven-month-old daughter inside.
She was arrested on Monday.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson Selvy Mohlala said the incident took place at the Vosman informal settlement in the early hours of Sunday morning.
"A report by the police indicates that emergency services personnel, including SAPS members from Vosman, were alerted about a shack which was on fire at Marikana in Extension 16. Upon arrival at the crime scene, a group of people was found being deeply perturbed by the horrifying incident in which the fire consumed an innocent toddler.”
Mohlala said preliminary investigations indicated that the child's parents were involved in a violent argument.
"The husband then left the premises, and it was during this time that she allegedly torched the shack. She was whisked away from the raging flames by some members of the public, who became outraged.
“They even tried to take the law into their own hands. However, the police rescued her," he added.
Mohlala says there were also allegations that the mother was under the influence of alcohol when she torched the house.
"Further reports indicate that before the authorities were called, members of the community noticed the blazing fire at a shack, and they began screaming. It was at that period when the woman was somehow rescued, but sadly, after the fire was extinguished, the charred tiny remains of the child were found in the rubble.”
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