KZN man arrested after he tried to set his mother on fire

A 22-year-old man has been arrested after he attempted to set his mother alight at their home in Oakford, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).

It is understood Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) received a call for assistance from the family after two drug addicted brothers assaulted their mother with a brick and doused her with diesel.

The duo threatened to set their mom alight if she did not give them money to buy drugs.

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Rusa says officer were immediately dispatched to the residence and on arrival located the 22-year-old brother.

“His 32-year-old sibling fled prior to the arrival of first responders. According to their 54-year-old mother, both her sons assaulted her on Saturday, after she refused to give them money. They stole power tools from her home which was sold to purchase drugs.

“The two retuned on Sunday, and demanded more money. They threatened to set her alight and burn down the house if she failed to comply with their demands,” Rusa said.

Rusa added that the elder sibling was arrested in September 2015, after he set his grandmother’s house In Oaklands alight during a heated argument.

“Charges were later withdrawn against him. Their mother was forced to obtain a protection order against her sons in July 2022, after they physically and verbally abused her over a period of time in an attempt to extort money from her.”

The 22-year-old male was handed over to the police for further investigation and the older brother is still at large.

In a separate incident, four robbery suspects have appeared before the Port Shepstone Magistrates’ Court for possession of stolen goods, unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.

The gang, aged between 26 and 35, were arrested at a house in Kwadweshula.

They have been linked to a house robbery case at Nyandezulu, where a Road Accident Fund beneficiary was robbed of cash, clothing and various takkies.

They have also been linked to seven more house robberies that took place in various areas.

During the operation, police recovered takkies, TV sets, a rifle, a revolver and various rounds of ammunition.

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