Arson and murder charges for Kraaifontein man

A 60-year-old man appeared in the Blue Downs Magistrates Court on charges of arson and three counts of murder following a fire that claimed the lives of three people, including a four-year-old child, in Wallacedene, Kraaifontein.

The incident happened in the early hours of August 13, 2025.

At about 00:45, police and emergency services were called to a shack in New Rest squatter camp that had been destroyed by fire. Inside, the bodies of a 58-year-old woman, a 56-year-old man, and a four-year-old child were discovered.

An inquest docket was initially opened as the cause of the fire was unclear.

Detectives from the Provincial Serious and Violent Crime Unit, working with Kraaifontein SAPS, later uncovered evidence pointing to arson.

Their investigation led to the arrest of the 60-year-old suspect on Wednesday.

Western Cape police spokesperson Colonel André Traut confirmed the breakthrough.

He said: “The relentless efforts of our detectives ensured the arrest of a 60-year-old suspect on charges of arson and three counts of murder. He appeared in the Blue Downs Magistrates Court.”

Community members claimed that the accused had locked the victims inside the shack before setting it alight.

A resident explained: “It is believed that jealousy may have been the motive, as the accused allegedly suspected his partner of having an affair.

“It was out of a jealous rage that he did that; he had suspected that his partner was having an affair with another man. 

“He locked them inside while the woman’s grandchild was in there and the person he thought she was cheating with. And allegedly set the shack alight.”