Drug dealer sentenced for setting woman alight accusing her of stealing
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Wynberg Regional Court in the Western Cape has handed down 22 years imprisonment to drug dealer who set a woman alight after pouring petrol on her.
Eric Ntabazilila from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said that the incident occurred six years ago in Hout Bay on 9 January 2018 where Elridge Du Plessis accused the deceased Mishkaah Fakier of stealing his drugs and money.
“Du Plessis was charged with his cousin, but he was acquitted of all the charges preferred against him. The State alleges that Du Plessis, a drug dealer, accused Fakier of stealing his drugs and cash contained in a bag where she and friends were sleeping. The State further alleges that he smacked her demanding to know where his drugs were.”
Seeing that he was not winning when asking the victim of the whereabouts of his items, he went on to buy petrol and a lighter.
The state argued that Du Plessis was well in aware of what he was doing because he also poured a little of the petrol on himself but went home to change clothes because he didn’t want to catch fire as well.
“This was a sign of clear direct intention that he would burn the deceased.”
He had been in police custody since the arrest in 2018.
