A Mpumalanga man accused of setting his shack on fire with his girlfriend inside will appear in the Standerton magistrate's court in absentia, police confirmed on Tuesday night.
The horrific incident happened in Sakhile, near Standerton, on Monday.
According to Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brig Leonard Hlathi, the 32-year-old man was in the shack with his girlfriend, 23, when family members noticed it had caught fire.
“While they [family members] were still pondering what happened, news broke that the suspect escaped the fire with some burn wounds, leaving his girlfriend behind.
“Emergency services and police were summoned to the scene where the girlfriend was certified dead,” Hlathi said.
Police arrested the man on a murder charge after suspecting that he started the fire.
He is under police guard at the hospital.
Acting Mpumalanga top cop, Maj-Gen Thulani Phahla, condemned the incident and “urged community [members] to seek professional help whenever [they are facing challenges”, rather than resort to violence.
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