The police in Mopani are investigating a case of murder, following the death of a nine-month-old girl who died in a burning house on Sunday night at about 23:30. The incident took place at the Mopye village near Tzaneen.

Capt Maano Sadike, the spokesperson for the police in the area, said that the girl’s mother was sleeping with her boyfriend when the incident occurred. According to the police statement, the woman’s former boyfriend had arrived and knocked at the door while the two were fast asleep.

The woman opened the door for him. What followed thereafter was a heated argument between the woman and her former lover. The statement indicates that the man was pleading with the woman not to reject him. On the other hand, the woman allegedly argued that she there was no way she was going to love him again since he was failing to provide for their nine-month-old baby girl, the deceased.

At that stage, the woman’s new boyfriend was hiding somewhere in the bedroom. Realizing that the argument was growing more heated, the woman left the man and went back to the bedroom. It is alleged that the man sprinkled a certain substance underneath the door of the house in which the new lovers were sleeping, before setting it on fire.

The suspect vanished in the darkness shortly thereafter. The woman and her boyfriend managed to escape through the window, thus leaving the little girl alone in the burning house. The police statement further indicates that the innocent girl burnt beyond recognition during the incident.

The little girl was identified as Sakuneka Maake. The suspect was still at large at the time of going to press, but the police were confident that his days as a free man were numbered, as he is a well-known figure in the community. The police are investigating the matter further.