Man (64) set alight after his wife’s body was found hanging in a tree
The man and his friend have been accused of his wife's disappearance and death.
LIMPOPO – A 64-year-old man is currently in hospital after he was set alight at Ngove village in the Giyani policing area, last night.
Residents of the village reportedly went on rampage after the body of the man’s wife, Phosa Egnes Maswanganyi (60), was discovered hanging from a tree in nearby bushes. Police Spokesperson, Col Moatshe Ngoepe said Maswanganyi went missing on Tuesday, 27 October.
“The residents accused the deceased’s husband and his friend of being involved in her disappearance and her death. Subsequent to that, they torched the husband’s two rondavel houses and thereafter set him alight,” Ngoepe explained.
The Giyani police and Public Order Police (Pops) Unit managed to stop the crowd from burning another house, Ngoepe said.
“The situation is still quiet at this stage but the Public Order Police Unit is continuing to monitor it, in case of any eventualities.”
The Provincial Police Commissioner, Lt Gen Nneke Ledwaba has condemned the incident. “We cannot allow this kind of behaviour to rule our province where people still ignore our call to work with us and refrain from taking the law into their own hands.The suspects must be hunted down and brought to book,” said Ledwaba.
Ngoepe added that cases of arson and attempted murder were opened and that a “massive manhunt for the suspects involved in this matter” has been launched.
“Anyone with information that can lead to the arrest of the suspects, may contact Col Robert Mudau at 082 729 0351, the Crime Stop number at 08600 10111 or the nearest police station,” he concluded. Police investigations are still continuing.
