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This woman was splashed with methylated alcohol and set on fire for stealing a package of meat worth R25. (The photo is a screenshot of a video taken by a Musina resident immediately after the attack, on November 10.)
Spar Group apologizes and suspends two employees involved in the incident.
- A 40-year-old Zimbabwean woman was doused with methylated alcohol by SUPERSPAR in Musina by employees after she stole food worth R25.
- She has been treated for burns at a Musina hospital in Limpopo.
- Three people have been arrested and are due to return to court next week.
- The Spar Group apologized and two employees involved were suspended.
First published in Ground.
A 40-year-old Zimbabwean woman was treated for burns at a Musina hospital in Limpopo after employees of a SuperSpar doused her with methylated alcohol for stealing rand 25 worth of food.
Three people were arrested after the incident and are due to return to court in January 2021. The Spar Group said the store is independently owned. However, the company has apologized.
Mavis (not her real name) spoke to GroundUp on the condition that her identity be withheld. He said he suffered burns to his waist, arm, leg and vagina.
He said he came to Musina on November 2, 2020, looking for work. The mother of five said her husband died in 2012 and she was struggling to put food on the table for her young children, two of whom are still in school.
“I stayed at a relative’s home, but the relative was visiting her husband who works in Pretoria.”
He said that he had gone days without anything to eat and did not want to be a burden to the owner who was already taking care of his relative’s three young children while she was away.
On November 10, he said, “Out of desperation I walked to Spar and stole a package of meat worth 25 rand. I left unnoticed until some Spar workers approached me and asked me to know what I had bought. I never denied anything. I showed them the meat, ”Mavis said.
She said that although she explained her situation and apologized, the employees poured alcohol on her lap and set her on fire. “I asked for forgiveness but they all fell on deaf ears. Some kicked me. I told them that if they wanted to kill me they shouldn’t make me suffer like that, ”he said.
According to Mavis, some Musina residents came to her rescue and called the police, who responded quickly. Neighbors immediately demanded the store be closed. It reopened the next day.
“I’m not denying that I did something wrong, but were these workers supposed to give me that treatment? They have made my children’s lives and mine worse. At the moment I can’t even sit down and have to sleep on one side. “
“I’m not sure when I will recover so I can work for my children. The pain is too much, ”Mavis said.
Colonel Moathse Ngoepe of Musina SAPS said that three people between the ages of 27 and 40 were arrested two days after the incident on November 12, 2020. Ngoepe said all three appeared before the Musina Magistrates Court on November 13 and were he gave them bail of 1,000 rand each. The case was postponed until January 26, 2021.
In response to questions from GroundUp, the Spar Group said that Musina Spar had confirmed that two staff members were involved “in what appears to be illegal actions following the capture of a thief” on November 10, 2020. The group said that they had been “suspended” with immediate effect, pending a disciplinary hearing “.
The Spar Group said the store and its owner were “shocked and saddened by these events and have offered our sincerest apologies and support to the alleged victim, his family and the community.” DM
