A 45-year-old man who set his ex-girlfriend alight after a break up was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Mpumalanga High Court on Tuesday. Ramoula Vernon Brown from eDwaleni Trust in KaBokweni in Mpumalanga was convicted for the premeditated murder of his ex-girlfriend, Precious Nomthandazo Mnguni (30). He was also found guilty of contravention of domestic violence act.

Mpumalanga National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said that Brown and Mnguni were in a romantic relationship and had a child together. "After the breakup, Brown started following Mnguni and assaulted her. As a result, the deceased successfully applied for a protection order against the accused. Some of the conditions set by the court were for the accused not to assault the deceased and not to enter the deceased's homestead," Nyuswa said. She added that on the morning of 21 August 2021, Brown went to the Mnguni's homestead with a petrol can and waited for her to come out of the house. "He then attacked her, poured her with petrol and further forced her to drink it and set her alight. Mnguni's mother heard her daughter screaming and went to investigate only to find the accused standing over the deceased. She grabbed the accused trying to protect the deceased but was overpowered. The accused fled the scene leaving the deceased's mother trying to extinguish the fire using water," she said. Nyuswa said Mnguni was taken to Themba Hospital where she succumbed to burn wounds. 

In court, Brown pleaded not guilty. Instead, he gave contradictory evidence and made no mention of him setting the deceased alight. Senior State Advocate Thulani Msibi led evidence of the deceased's mother, who saw the deceased burning. Another witness testified that he saw the accused holding the petrol can days before the incident happened, he added that the same can that he saw the accused carrying, was the one found on the crime scene.

Nyuswa said the court was satisfied that the state case was proven beyond reasonable doubt and the accused was found guilty as charged. Advocate Beauty Cibangu took over the matter to finality, she addressed the court about the scourge of gender based- violence, it's ripeness and the impact it has on the society urging the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence. In sentencing the accused, Judge Vincent Takalani Ratsvhibvumo took into consideration all the evidence placed before court and found no substantial and compelling circumstances to justify deviation from the prescribed minimum sentence. "The accused was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and five years? imprisonment for contravention of domestic violence act. The court ordered the 5 years imprisonment sentence to run concurrent with the sentence of life. The court further declared the accused unfit to possess a firearm in terms of the Firearms Control Act," Nyuswa concluded.