Home charred because of sneakers
The son who demanded money from his mother burnt down his home in KwaThema
A 29-year-old man burnt down his home in KwaThema’s Extension Three because he demanded money from his mother to buy new sneakers.
The 64-year-old mother, Nomfundo Bhaku-Bhaku, who depends on her pension money to survive, was left homeless after her son burnt down her five-room shack at Emavag Extension Three area on Monday at around 9am.
Having no place to call her own is not a big concern to Bhaku-Bhaku, but what she says will make her have sleepless nights is the fear of what her son might do to her after she opened a case against him at the KwaThema Police Station.
Bhaku-Bhaku explained what she thinks caused her son to burn down their home.
She said a week before she got her pension money for July, her alleged nyaope and dagga addicted son asked her for money to buy new sneakers.
She said because she did not have money for her son’s sneakers, she gave him R100, promising him to get the rest of the money in August when she gets her pension again.
“He became furious with me, telling me that R100 was not even close to R1 500, the price of the sneakers that he wants to buy,” said Bhaku-Bhaku, holding back tears, adding that he told her that he was going to sell her fridge in order to get the money to buy the sneakers that he wanted so badly.
Bhaku-Bhaku continued to say that two people who she thinks were the customers who were interested in buying the fridge were brought to her home by her son, allegedly to see the fridge.
“On Monday morning he came home while I was busy doing my washing and locked himself inside the shack,” she said.
She said, because she was terrified about what her son might do to her, she ran away to her neighbours’ house and fortunately she saw a police vehicle that she stopped and told the police her story.
“The police drove with me to my home and my son had already run away from home,” sadly said Bhaku-Bhaku.
However, after an hour the son came back and set the shack alight.
Four rooms, including the kitchen and his mother’s bedroom, were destroyed by fire.
They were left without clothes, blankets and food until the Springs disaster management office donated groceries and blankets to Bhaku-Bhaku.
KwaThema police spokesman Captain Mandla Phori, confirmed that a case of arson has been opened and the police are still looking for the man.
If you know where he is, you should call KwaThema police on 011 812 4600.
