After working for decades in Gauteng and not going back to his home village for years, old man Hendrick Nenzhelele (72) who recently went on pension felt it was time for him to go back to his roots for a well deserved rest. He extended his house, bought new furniture and a car. But it seems the well deserved rest will remain a pipe dream after all his properties were set alight by his son's girlfriend.

A WOMAN SCORNED

This is after Nenzhelele's son broke up with the woman and reported the physical and emotional abuse to the police.The enraged woman who couldn't take no for an answer casually threatened to burn, Nenzhelele's newly built six-room house in Tshithuthuni village ,outside Makhado, in Limpopo. A few hours later, all the furniture including the ones he recently sent home and all other contents were burnt to ashes. Bennet Nenzhelele, the old man's son ,who sometimes stayed with his girlfriend who is the main suspect in the fire, said he regrets the day he met the woman.

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PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL ABUSE

Bennet alleges that their two year relationship was marred with physical and emotional abuse. He says though the incident was shocking he was not surprised by his girlfriend's actions.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    "That woman shamelessly beat and insulted me in front of my friends and family. On the day of the incident she slapped me after accusing me of cheating on her. I decided I had had enough of the abuse and decided to break up with her after she insulted me and I went to report the matter to the police. When coming back from the police station she told me that she was going to burn down my father's house so I will have nowhere to go with my new girlfriend,' Bennet said.

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FATHER COLLAPSES

Even with the threats Bennet says he laughed it off and went to work. A few hours later he received a call to say that the woman had burnt down the house. As he was trying to process the news, he says the suspect sent him a WhatsApp message: "Happy New Year, continue your life with your new wife in that burnt house,"              While trying to convince himself this was just a terrible nightmare he would wake up from, Bennet learned that his aunt had called his father, who was still in Gauteng to tell him about the news.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              "My father collapsed out of shock and had to spend a week in hospital. I feel so guilty because had I not brought that woman in my life my father would still have a house he so badly wanted to retire in,' he added.

SHATTERED DREAM

Nenzhelele is still stuck in Gauteng and his plan to return home this week had to be postponed indefinitely. He hopes to get a good Samaritan to help rebuild his house so that he can finally retire in his home village.                                                                                                                                                                                                               "I am a security guard and even if I wanted to rebuild my father's house it would take me years to do so. This situation is just too depressing for me. My father is sickly and really wanted to come back home but it's now all gone up in smoke,' added Bennet. Limpopo police spokesperson, Colonel Mamphaswa Seabi confirmed the incident and said that a 33-year-old woman was arrested and charged with arson. She appeared before the  Thohoyandou magistrate court on Wednesday and was granted R1500 bail.