A 26-year-old Bulawayo woman miraculously escaped from her
burning bedroom and rescued her four-year-old son after her jealous ex-husband
allegedly doused them with petrol before torching the room they were sleeping
in.
The incident occurred at around 10PM on Thursday last week
at the woman’s rented house in New Lobengula suburb.
Although Ms Lecia Nyoni and her son escaped unscathed, she
lost her bed, linen and clothes and shoes all valued at R10 000 when the room
caught fire. The suspect, Sindiso Siziba (33), has since been arrested on
charges of attempted murder.
Chronicle yesterday visited Ms Nyoni’s house and she
narrated her ordeal. The victim is still traumatised and struggling to come to
terms with what transpired on the day.
Ms Nyoni said since the incident she is now struggling to
have proper sleep and experiences a torrent of nightmares.
“I was sleeping with my four-year-old son when I felt some
fluid flowing down my body. Upon waking up I smelt petrol and within minutes
the entire room was in flames and immediately I grabbed my son and stormed out
of the room and screamed for help,” she said.
“I don’t even know why my ex-husband resorted to doing such
an evil thing despite that we have both moved on and its two years now since we
parted ways.”
The woman said her attacker opened the window and poured
petrol into the room. When she woke up the house was in flames but she escaped
with her son.
She said she alerted her neighbours and other tenants and
they rushed to the scene to render assistance. Ms Nyoni, who initially thought
the intruder was a thief, said she was shocked when she discovered that it was
her ex-husband behind the fire.
“After the incident, Siziba fled from the scene and he was
carrying the fuel container with him. One of the neighbours managed to catch up
with Siziba and they wrestled until he managed to subdue him. They apprehended
him and took him to the police station leading to his arrest,” she said.
Ms Nyoni suspects her ex-husband could have been driven by
jealousy after he found out that she had found new love.
Chronicle observed that the walls of the room were still black
due to the fumes and some of the damaged window panes had been repaired.
Both Ms Nyoni and her landlady, Ms Charity Moyo told
Chronicle that they were now living in fear after they learnt that the suspect
has been released on bail.
“We are no longer comfortable in this house as we suspect
that Siziba could return to finish me after failing to achieve his mission in
the first attempt. It is quite shocking for the courts to release such a
dangerous criminal,” said Ms Nyoni.
Siziba appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Tinashe
Tashaya last week and he was remanded out of custody to August 13 on $1 000
bail on attempted murder charges.
According to a recent Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC)
report, cases of domestic violence cases have increased by more than 100
percent during the ongoing Covid-19 induced national lockdown.
The cases have shot up to about 1 200 in April, compared to
an average of 500 usually reported in a month.
Institutions that fight against abuse have reported that
psychological, emotional, verbal, physical, economical and other kinds of abuse
have increased against both sexes as perpetrators spend every hour of the day
locked down with their victims.
ZGC noted with concern the increase in gender-based
violence (GBV) cases. Following the spike in GBV and domestic violence cases
countrywide, police in Bulawayo have condemned the crimes and called for calm
and harmony in households during the indefinite lockdown meant to avert the
spread of Covid-19. Chronicle
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