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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. (Ground)
- A 40-year-old Zimbabwean woman has been treated for burns at a Musina hospital in Limpopo.
- Three people have been arrested for allegedly assaulting her and are due to return to court next week.
- The Spar Group apologized and two employees involved were suspended.
A 40-year-old Zimbabwean woman was treated for burns at a hospital in Musina, 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 next year. Spar Group said the store is independently owned. However, the company has apologized.
Mavis * 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 that he had come to Musina on November 2, 2020 in search of work. The mother of five said her husband had died in 2012 and that 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 R25. I walked out unnoticed until some Spar workers approached me and asked me what I had bought. I never denied anything. I showed them the meat. “
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, then 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.
Mavis said:
I’m not denying I did the wrong thing, 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 up and have to sleep on my side.
“I’m not sure when I’ll recover so I can work for my kids. The pain is too much,” Mavis said.
Musina SAPS Col. Moathse Ngoepe said that three people, aged 27 to 40, had been arrested two days after the November 12 incident.
Ngoepe said that the three had appeared before the Musina Magistrates Court on November 13 and were granted bail of 1,000 rand each. The case was postponed until January 26 of the next year.
In response to GroundUp’s questions, the Spar Group said that Musina Spar had confirmed that two staff members were involved “in what appears to be illegal actions following the apprehension 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.”
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