Man torches granny's homestead after stone-throwing dispute

A 19-year-old Esigodini man left his grandmother homeless after torching her two mud huts and a zinc roofed house, which contained property worth $5 000 over a dispute on why he was throwing stones on the roof.

The grandmother, Ms Vivian Khanye (65) has now sought refuge at her daughter in-law's home after her grandson Mgcini Ndlovu whom she lived with set her home on fire.

The incident came to light when Ndlovu appeared before Esigodini magistrate Mr Lungile Ncube facing charges of malicious damage to property and was remanded in custody to 19 December.

Prosecuting, Mr Jafta Nyika told the court that on 4 December 2016 at around 9PM, Khanye was sleeping in her house but could not enjoy her peaceful sleep as she kept on hearing strange sounds from the roof which sounded like stones.

The court was further told that Ms Khanye called Ndlovu asking him about the constant sounds from the roof before going outside where she found her grandson standing outside the yard.

It was the State case that Ms Khanye asked her grandson if he saw anyone throwing stones on top of the roof or if he was the one who was doing it. Ndlovu, the court heard, denied hearing any noise or seeing anyone throwing the stones on the roof.

Mr Nyika told the court that, the questions did not go down well with Ndlovu, who entered his bedroom hut shouting that his grandmother was wrongly accusing him of throwing the stones. He took out all his belongings and placed them outside before proceeding to the kitchen hut where he took a smouldering log, got out of the house blew it and lit the thatched hut.

The State told the court that fearing for her life Ms Khanye fled to her daughter in-law and narrated the incident to her.

"I was now afraid of what he was going to do next and in fear of my life I went to seek assistance from my daughter in-law who then accompanied me to report the matter to a member of the neighbourhood watch committee," she told the court.

The two women and the member of the neighbourhood watch committee then proceeded to the scene where they found Ms Khanye's two huts and the zinc roofed house having been burnt to the ground and no property was salvaged.

Asked why he torched his grandmother's homestead, Ndlovu said he was under a demonic attack and the devil was in control of him.

He pleaded guilty before the magistrate and asked the court to be lenient when sentencing him.