By Nomalungelo Booi
MSIMELELO Bekwa is lucky to be alive.
This after his girlfriend allegedly tried to set him alight in his shack in Khayelitsha, Holomisa Kariega on Sunday, 27 October.
Speaking to Daily Kasi News, Msimelelo said he had to break the door of his shack when he realised there was smoke in the shack. Though he survived, the fire destroyed six other shacks, killing two people.
Msimelelo said his girlfriend got angry as he had found a job on a farm outside Kariega and didn’t want him to go. He claimed she threatened him that if he ever wanted to go to work, he must go with her or else he wouldn’t go to the new job.
He said at about 10pm on Saturday, 26 October, the woman tried to burn the shack while he was inside, but he managed to escape and extinguish the fire. The woman then ran away and allegedly went to a nearby shebeen.
Msimelelo slept, but at about 2am, the shack was set alight again and again he managed to escape, but this time, the fire spread, burnt six shacks and almost killed two men
“She said if I go to work without her, I must consider myself dead. She believed there was no job and that I was going to get a girlfriend. She wanted me dead for a long time and didn’t hide it.
“There was a time when I was stabbed, and she said: ‘They should have finished you’. I don’t know why she has been like this to me. Why would she want me to die when I do almost everything for her,” said Msimelelo.
The 35-year-old Msimelelo said he’s been dating Bukeka Happiness Qakazi, (38) since 2013. They don’t have a child together, but Msimelelo said he’s been a father figure to Bukeka’s kids – aged 17 and 19.
“I go to their schools for parents’ meetings, and I pay their school fees. I do everything as their father, but my girlfriend doesn’t appreciate me, all she does is give problems,” he said.
Msimelelo’s mum, Nokulunga Bekwa (63) said she tried to go to a pastor to help separate her son and his girlfriend, but it didn’t work. The pastor told her she couldn’t separate them “because you are not the one who brought them together”.
The mum said the couple was chased out of various homes which they rented until she bought a shack for her son, which the woman allegedly set alight.
“There hasn’t been peace in the relationship since they started dating. The relationship is toxic, and the woman is always abusing my child. I once stayed with them and chased her out of my house because of the abuse and disrespect, but my son followed her. It’s like my son was given strong korobela because this woman plays with him like a ball,” said Nokulunga.
Bukeka was arrested and she appeared in the KwaNobuhle Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 30 October facing murder charges.
Police spokesman Sergeant Twigg said the inquest at docket which was initially opened was changed to attempted murder. He said Bukeka is expected to appear in court again on Wednesday 13 November for a bail application.
Daily Kasi News 