Emalahleni– Yesterday a 35-year-old man made his first appearance in the Emalahleni Magistrate Court after setting alight two women last week.
Mpumelelo Hill is facing two counts of attempted murder.
The incident happened last Thursday, on 23 July around 18h00, when Hill allegedly doused and set alight 21-year-old Nompumelelo Gumede, the mother of his children, and his 23-year-old sister, Mbali, who attempted to diffuse an altercation between Hill and Gumede.
Both women sustained severe burn wounds and were rushed to the hospital by a quick-acting community member.
The Vosman Police arrested Hill later that evening, around 21h00. When Hill made his first appearance on 29 July, the community’s outrage was intense as a protest erupted outside the courtroom.
Family members and community members are demanding justice for the victims. Gumede’s mother, Shirley Mlanjeni said: “I don’t want him to get bail because I want this to be a lesson to all the men out there that what the accused has done is wrong, no matter what happened.”
The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Mpumalanga, Major General (Dr) Zeph Mkhwanazi, strongly condemned the brutal attack, emphasising the need for continued collaboration to combat gender-based violence and femicide.
“We wish a speedy recovery to the two victims,” he said, commending the swift response of the police officers involved. “We hereby make a clarion call to Faith-Based-Organisations, Community leaders, and Civil Society Groups to continue to work collaboratively with us as public servants, in fighting GBVF within the society.”
Hill will remain in custody until his next court appearance on 7 August.
