26-year-old Man Sets Parents On Fire, Blames Evil Spirits

A man named Themba Mathe appeared in court on Tuesday and admitted to trying to kill his parents by setting their house on fire. The 26-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder and blamed “evil spirits” for his actions.

Mathe tied the door of his parents’ bedroom hut from the outside and set the roof on fire while they were sleeping inside. Luckily, his father and stepmother managed to escape without getting hurt. The fire destroyed everything inside the house, ZimLive reported. Mathe was caught hiding in the bush by his parents and neighbours. In court, he explained that he did it as revenge because he believed his father didn’t love him. Mathe said:

I admit to these two counts of attempted murder. I acted in the way I did for two reasons, firstly it was out of revenge because my parents don’t love me, they don’t take me as their own son and deny me food. They had chased me away from home and I was now staying with my grandfather Pharaoh Mathe of the same village.

Secondly, I don’t know what got over me. I suspect it could have been evil spirits behind my actions. I am really sorry for what I did.

His father who was the main witness for the prosecution, expressed fear of his son in court. He requested that the court impose a lengthy prison sentence on Themba, hoping that it would teach him important lessons for his life while behind bars.

I’ve never been so scared in my life. I stared death face-to-face and lost all my property valued at US$600. I’m more scared of my son than I am of a lion! As I stand here, my wife and I have nothing under our name. I now sleep in the kitchen and we have no food.

He added that he wished for his son to be jailed so that he could learn important life lessons and how to get along with others. He denied Themba’s claim that they kicked him out of the house, saying that Themba’s own mischievous behaviour caused problems and even led to him being beaten by people in their community.

Mathe is scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday.

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