SOUTH CREST – On July 24, Jennifer van Tonder, a 61-year-old resident of South Crest, suffered severe burns by a suspected male attacker, who resided on the same property. He poured petrol into her vehicle and set it alight.
Milly Clark, the owner of the property and landlady to the tenants in South Crest explains her side of the story: “A year and a half ago, a gardener asked if he could stay on my premises, as he had nowhere to go. Although I had said it was temporary, he landed up staying on and never found an alternative place.”
Jennifer had expressed her concern to Milly of an incident where he swore at her on Tuesday, July 15. On Saturday July 19 Milly approached him and said to him that he should please leave the premises. He responded by saying she should give him three days grace in order to look for another place.
Milly spoke to him on Tuesday July 22 and found him drunk on her premises. She asked him to leave but he never left on Tuesday. Instead, he left Wednesday morning.
According to Milly, he came back on Wednesday evening. He must have gained access by jumping over the wall.
He went into the garage and during that time. Uncertain of what he was getting up to or what he was doing, Jennifer was about to leave from the driveway at around 06:50 on Thursday morning July 24.
The man approached her with petrol and said it was her fault for this happening to him. According to the statement provided by SAPS, he poured the petrol into the car and set it alight.
Milly was at work during that time and received calls from a neigbour, explaining that Jennifer was found in the driveway, that she had been burnt, and they had taken her to a nearby hospital.
When Milly came back to her property, she found an empty white bucket along with Jennifer’s jacket, but the rest of the scene had been cleared.
During Thursday evening, Milly said that he had been calling her and threatening her by saying that if she didn’t give him R1 500 he would do the same to her and her car.
The suspect has still not been found.
