Cape Town - A Manenberg grandfather accused of being behind a blaze which claimed the life of his wife is behind bars after handing himself over to police.
Distraught neighbours of the 62-year-old woman said they have been left traumatised after hearing her desperate plea for help as flames engulfed the couple’s Wendy house last week.
Landlady Mathilda Bennet, 62, said they were forced to flee their home which was destroyed in the fire.
Mathilda explained: “I was at home on Thursday and I saw the husband come inside the main house.
“They live in a wendy house in my yard and have been tenants for three years now. He came to me and said he only has a R10 for electricity and was going to the shop to purchase it.
“He came back from the shop and went inside his wendy and a short while later he came back and said he was going out. I asked him where Marie (wife) was but he told me she is drunk and is sleeping.”
Bennet said several minutes later she noticed smoke and panic spread as they realised the wendy house was on fire.
“The smoke just got darker and we saw their place was on fire. Marie was screaming for my son to help her get out and he tried but the wendy was locked with a chain and we could not get it off,” she explained.
“The flames started growing and growing and we all had to run for our lives. As the flames got bigger we suddenly just heard silence and she went quiet. It was terrible.”
Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson, Jermaine Carelse, said they found the body of the woman inside the burnt structure and that the scene was handed over to the police.
Bennet said as they arrived at Manenberg Police Station after the fire was extinguished, they were informed that the husband was arrested.
She said they were told that he had handed himself over to police.
“It appears that he may have done it on purpose but we are not sure,” she added.
“She was a very sickly woman and suffered from anxiety and used to drink a lot."
Police spokesperson, Captain FC van Wyk, confirmed the arrest: "A 69-year-old male has been arrested and charged with culpable homicide after his 62-year-old wife was burnt beyond recognition.“
“He locked the informal dwelling with a chain from outside. The place caught fire causing the death of his wife. Circumstances surrounding this incident are under investigation. The motive for this incident forms part of the police investigation.”
Meanwhile, Bennet and her children have since been left homeless after the fire gutted the entire property.
"We are sleeping outside because we have nowhere to go. We are a family of 18 with nothing to eat and nowhere to sleep because of this.
“Our personal documents, school clothes. Everything is gone. The walls are cracked and we were told that the roof can collapse at any time."
* If you would like to help the family, call Jonathan on 063 043 5021.