A 22-year-old woman died after allegedly setting herself on fire while hanging from a rope inside a house in Kanye on Sunday morning, police confirmed.
The woman, who lived in Sebego ward, had visited her boyfriend at his rented house in Sebako ward, where the incident occurred, Kanye Police Station Commander, Superintendent Vincent Pitseetsile said.
He said they received a report around 9.45am and rushed to the scene. “The woman was tied with a rope from the rafters and when the rope got burnt it cut off and she fell on the ground. She was taken to Kanye SDA where she was certified dead,” he explained.
He said the woman’s 28-year-old boyfriend claimed he had left her to buy a cigarette at a nearby bar and found the house locked and on fire when he returned. He also claimed he received a text message from the woman saying goodbye and telling him to find her body inside the house.
The couple had reportedly had a misunderstanding over their relationship, as the woman suspected the boyfriend of cheating on her. “It was suspected that paraffin was poured on the girl’s body before being set on fire and she started burning from the bottom to the top,” a source said.
The police said only the woman was burnt and the fire was put out by neighbours before it damaged any property inside the one-roomed house.