Burning someone alive is one of the cruellest and most sadistic acts a person can carry out, and the Action Society team has first-hand experience of how this pain can shape a person’s future. These horrible acts of violence are perpetuated with only one aim in mind: to cause someone as much pain, suffering and long-term damage as possible. Burn wounds often leave permanent scars on those who survive the attack, and they are never the same again, both physically and psychologically. Perpetrators of these attacks wish to put a permanent stamp of their malice and the perceived power that they believe they have over their victims.
Those who are burnt alive perish in one of the most painful ways imaginable. Charlene Pretorius, Asiphwe Cetwayo and Angela Koopman are three murder-by-burn victims represented by Action Society over the years. Their stories are a stark and sombre reminder that violence against women in South Africa is carried out with a particular and unique brand of cruelty, with the singular aim of causing someone as much pain as possible. Not only are they cruel, but they are cowardly and show a complete disregard for human dignity.
Charlene Pretorius:
On 27 May 2023, a 42-year-old mother of three from Pretoria North was set alight by her husband in full view of their teenage daughter.
Charlene’s husband, Stephan, watched as she burned after he doused her in fuel and set her alight. He was apprehended after suffering a flat tyre during his attempt to escape. After her death, Stephan continued to act belligerent and aggressive, going as far as to threaten his own children, saying he would burn them, too.
Charlene’s marriage with Stephan was marked with violence and abuse. During their 16-year marriage, he threatened to shoot her and the children. She obtained various protection orders, which he violated repeatedly. She filed for divorce in February 2023 and obtained what would be her last protection order.
Charlene’s son says all he wants is closure and peace.
“I am still heartbroken about what happened to my mother, especially now, more than a year later. I just want this case to be over with as soon as possible so we can move on with our lives with the knowledge that my mother’s death wasn’t for nothing and that he is punished for what he did to her,” he said.
Charlene’s family has been suffering for more than a year. The image of her mother being burnt alive will haunt her daughter for the rest of her life. The least we can do is ensure this monster is behind bars for life, and never given the chance to go near her children, or any other potential victims, ever again.
Angela Koopman:
Angela Koopman, a mother of two teenage children, was similarly doused and set alight by her partner in Tafelsig, Mitchell’s Plain, on 22 March 2024.
Her bereaved mother found Angela’s burnt body after she received a panicked call from her. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, but it was too late, and Angela succumbed to her wounds.
Jackie said she will never forget the day she saw her daughter in so much pain. She remembers rubbing her daughter’s head in the ambulance on their way to the hospital.
“My daughter was suffering. My heart just sank because she didn’t deserve to get hurt or treated like that. They tried everything they could at the hospital, but they told us her burns were too severe. When we heard she passed on, I was really broken; I still am,” said Koopman.
Asiphe Cetwayo:
In March of 2023, the mutilated body of a young woman was found in a dumping site in Mbekweni by herdsmen travelling through the area. An autopsy revealed that Asiphe had been raped and murdered the previous day and was burnt with acid.
The Mbekweni community was outraged by her murder; they gathered outside the Mbekweni Police station, demanding answers regarding the investigation. They held a candlelight vigil for her and swore not to allow her name to be forgotten.
Asiphe was a young, bright student with her entire life ahead of her. She was in her final year of studying to become a teacher, and her parents described her as very devoted to her studies.
Action Society has vowed to continue overseeing these cases until justice is served and the monsters who violated these women in such a cruel and brutal way are punished to the full extent of the law.
