WHEN Zanele Motaung found her boyfriend having sex with a woman in their house, jealousy and anger allegedly led to her setting the two lovers alight.
The lovebirds had blocked the door with the bed during the steamy encounter that went on for two days. The spurned woman then allegedly locked the house from outside and watched as neighbours tried to rescue the trapped couple.
Her boyfriend was lucky to escape the fire. But the woman, Nomonde Mfaco, 26, suffered extensive burns and died in hospital a day later.
Motaung is standing trial for murder and arson in the Tembisa Magistrate’s Court, which is set to hear closing arguments in the matter on February 9. Motaung pleaded guilty for the August 2013 incident.
On Friday, Mfaco’s mother, Aslinah, 51, told the court that her daughter’s death had affected the whole family, especially the son she left behind.
She said Motaung’s family did not bother to apologise for her loss.
“All they do is hurt me. Her mother once told me she sees nothing wrong in what her daughter had done because she was fighting for her man,” she said.
She said she would consider forgiving Motaung “but the look on her face tells she is proud of what she did,” said Aslinah. Motaung, who lived with her boyfriend for nine months, said in her statement that she had intended to kill Mfaco.
“I was with my child during the early hours of the morning. I could not sleep [as] I waited for [him] to come home. He arrived with a lady (Mfaco) and they went straight to the main bedroom.
“While I was still amazed by their conduct, I heard noises in our bedroom as if the two are having sexual intercourse.”
Motaung said she took her child to a neighbour’s house “for the child not hear what was happening”.
She said she went back to the house after a while.
“I managed to avoid them. At around 6am the deceased demanded that I prepare food for her. I refused. The two later left the house.”
Motaung said the pair came back at around 10am.
“They went to the main bedroom again and closed the door. They pushed the bed towards the door to block it. I heard sounds again as if the two were having sex.
“I felt so humiliated and [asked myself] how can a person I love so much do this to me.”
She said she took an old newspaper, doused it with paraffin and set it alight.
“I put the lit paper under the door and the house caught fire.”
Motaung said she knew the people inside the house could burn to death. “I was angry at the time.”