'Burn him!'
1 December 2008, 07:00
'Burn him! Burn him like he burnt the children," an angry woman screamed as enraged Atteridgeville community members shoved a tyre towards the almost motionless body of an alleged murderer.
The man had apparently set fire to his former girlfriend's room in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The 37-year-old Sibongile Chiloane, her three children, Liesbet, 15 - who was handicapped - Nelson, 10, and Tsakane, 4, and her new boyfriend, Walter Khoza, died in the blaze.
Her eldest sister, Portia, who was not at home during the blaze, said Liesbet could not walk, speak or eat. Family members living cheek by jowl in a backyard shack in Padi Street on Sunday night recalled the hysterical screams of the children.
Although they tried to douse the flames, their attempts were in vain.
As the Chiloane family sat in the front garden last night, trying to get to terms with the tragedy, someone came running in, shouting that they had found the alleged murderer on the nearby mountain.
The community rushed to the street corner, but nothing happened.
As people returned to their homes, another shout came. This time it was for real, as angry voices were heard from the mountain.
Within minutes an Atteridgeville police car arrived. The group of angry men, earlier seen at the Chiloane house, was dragging the suspect, face down in the tarred road. They threw him towards the waiting community.
The man at first lay motionless, his body white from dust. Blood oozed from his head and was breathing heavily.
As police called for back-up, the crowd pulled the tyre closer.
"We want to burn him like he burnt the children, one disabled," some women screamed.
When the armed police realised they were outnumbered, they formed a circle around the man.
Some people picked up stones and threw them at the man. "He is a killer. He should die," one man shouted.
This drama came less than 24 hours after the horrible deaths of Chiloane and her loved ones.
Earlier on Sunday night aunt Martha Chiloane pointed to the remains of her niece's room, which were less than a metre from her room.
"I saw the ex-boyfriend through my window, shaking what looked like a can of petrol.
"He poured it on Sibongile's door frame. I was scared, so I hid below the window. When I looked again there were flames," she recalled.She heard the children screaming, but could not get to them. She ran to the main house, screaming for help.
Chiloane's sister, Margaret, looked on in horror.
"They say Sibongile maybe died first. Liesbet and Tsakane were clinging to the table, as if trying to get away from the flames. My heart is broken," she said.
Jan Schoeman, Sibongile's uncle, said when the police and fire brigade arrived, the flames were already out. Then the mortuary van came, but, when the family later went to the burnt room again, they saw a child's foot still in the ashes.
"Please tell the police to come get it. It is breaking us to think the children were burnt to pieces," he pleaded. They all felt a combination of fear and anger when the suspect was brought to the house.
"I'm scared," Portia said as she moved from the crowd.
Some of the adults in the crowd chased the children away, but soon no one noticed them as they bayed for blood. Atteridgeville police spokesperson Captain Bonginkosi Msimango last night said police managed to rescue the man from the crowd.
He was taken to hospital, and would be charged with murder and arson.
It appeared Chiloane had a fight with her former boyfriend, with whom she broke up about three months ago, according to family.
Captain Msimango said Khoza visited Chiloane on Saturday night. "It appears the ex-boyfriend came just after midnight. The victims were burnt beyond recognition," he said.
The man had apparently set fire to his former girlfriend's room in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The 37-year-old Sibongile Chiloane, her three children, Liesbet, 15 - who was handicapped - Nelson, 10, and Tsakane, 4, and her new boyfriend, Walter Khoza, died in the blaze.
Her eldest sister, Portia, who was not at home during the blaze, said Liesbet could not walk, speak or eat. Family members living cheek by jowl in a backyard shack in Padi Street on Sunday night recalled the hysterical screams of the children.
Although they tried to douse the flames, their attempts were in vain.
As the Chiloane family sat in the front garden last night, trying to get to terms with the tragedy, someone came running in, shouting that they had found the alleged murderer on the nearby mountain.
The community rushed to the street corner, but nothing happened.
As people returned to their homes, another shout came. This time it was for real, as angry voices were heard from the mountain.
Within minutes an Atteridgeville police car arrived. The group of angry men, earlier seen at the Chiloane house, was dragging the suspect, face down in the tarred road. They threw him towards the waiting community.
The man at first lay motionless, his body white from dust. Blood oozed from his head and was breathing heavily.
As police called for back-up, the crowd pulled the tyre closer.
"We want to burn him like he burnt the children, one disabled," some women screamed.
When the armed police realised they were outnumbered, they formed a circle around the man.
Some people picked up stones and threw them at the man. "He is a killer. He should die," one man shouted.
This drama came less than 24 hours after the horrible deaths of Chiloane and her loved ones.
Earlier on Sunday night aunt Martha Chiloane pointed to the remains of her niece's room, which were less than a metre from her room.
"I saw the ex-boyfriend through my window, shaking what looked like a can of petrol.
"He poured it on Sibongile's door frame. I was scared, so I hid below the window. When I looked again there were flames," she recalled.She heard the children screaming, but could not get to them. She ran to the main house, screaming for help.
Chiloane's sister, Margaret, looked on in horror.
"They say Sibongile maybe died first. Liesbet and Tsakane were clinging to the table, as if trying to get away from the flames. My heart is broken," she said.
Jan Schoeman, Sibongile's uncle, said when the police and fire brigade arrived, the flames were already out. Then the mortuary van came, but, when the family later went to the burnt room again, they saw a child's foot still in the ashes.
"Please tell the police to come get it. It is breaking us to think the children were burnt to pieces," he pleaded. They all felt a combination of fear and anger when the suspect was brought to the house.
"I'm scared," Portia said as she moved from the crowd.
Some of the adults in the crowd chased the children away, but soon no one noticed them as they bayed for blood. Atteridgeville police spokesperson Captain Bonginkosi Msimango last night said police managed to rescue the man from the crowd.
He was taken to hospital, and would be charged with murder and arson.
It appeared Chiloane had a fight with her former boyfriend, with whom she broke up about three months ago, according to family.
Captain Msimango said Khoza visited Chiloane on Saturday night. "It appears the ex-boyfriend came just after midnight. The victims were burnt beyond recognition," he said.
- This article was originally published on page 1 of The Pretoria News on December 01, 2008
