Senior citizen remanded in custody for gender-based violence and attempted murder
The suspect allegedly stabbed the victim multiple times before attacking her with a garden fork, dousing her with boiling water and locking her and her sister inside a burning house.
Matsobane Seema (61) appeared in the Mbibana Magistrate’s Court today, January 4, where he was remanded in custody on charges of attempted murder, arson and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
According to a statement issued by the provincial commissioner in Mpumalanga, Seema was staying in the victim’s house with the victim’s sister. It is alleged that on December 23, 2022 at around 02:00, the suspect had an argument with his 59-year-old female partner.
The victim reportedly tried to expel Seema from the house, but he refused to leave, and the couple then slept in separate bedrooms. The victim reportedly slept with her sister in the same bedroom.
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Seema went into the victim’s room and allegedly stabbed her multiple times with a knife on her right upper body, before striking her on the head with a garden fork.
When the sister tried to intervene, Seema allegedly pushed her away until she was powerless. He also allegedly poured boiling water over the victim. He allegedly then set the house on fire with the two siblings locked inside.
Seema fled the scene while the victims screamed for help. Community members came to their rescue and managed to break down the bedroom’s burglar proofing in order to set the sisters free.
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The two victims were taken to hospital for medical attention while fire and rescue workers managed to extinguish the fire.
While the police were conducting their investigation and were in pursuit of Seema, he handed himself over to the Vaalbank Police Station yesterday, January 3.
The provincial commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela, has welcomed the arrest. She expressed disappointment that a senior citizen, who is supposed to be an example to young people, had been arrested for gender-based violence.
