A 10-year-old boy died after his mother's boyfriend allegedly locked him (the boy), his mother and his sister inside their house in Murunwa Maramboni and then set the house on fire with them trapped inside.
According to Limpopo police spokesperson Brig Motlafela Mojapelo, the incident occurred on 30 January, following a heated fight between the mother and her boyfriend. After the house started burning, the neighbours apparently heard the frantic screams and rushed over to find the mother and two children trapped inside. The neighbours succeeded in getting them out and immediately called for an ambulance. The seriously injured woman and her two children were taken to hospital.
The police are still looking for the boyfriend, who is now the suspect in the case.
The young boy, Morgan Siobo, succumbed from his injuries two weeks after the incident (9 February) at Mankweng Hospital. The initial case of attempted murder has consequently changed to murder and arson.
The mother is still in Mankweng Hospital, while her 17-year-old daughter has already been discharged from Siloam Hospital.
According to Ms Rebecca Siobo, Morgan's grandmother, the suspect was abusive towards her daughter, but her daughter chose to keep quiet. "The man looked innocent, but we knew he was no good," she said. "We can't even eat here at home from grief. My grandson was everything to me. This is very hard for us."
Ms Jade Dzhivhuwo, the chairperson of Project 365, which focuses on gender-based violence, says that this problem has become the norm in the area.
"Woman don't feel safe at all, because even those who find the courage to go and report it at the police station are sent away and told to go and resolve their issues with their partners. Now women have gotten used to this, and that is why they suffer in silence. We have many cases of women who are abused by their spouses and keep quiet about it," Dzhivhuwo said.
Morgan was buried at Murunwa on Thursday, 17 February.