Mfundekelwa Mkhulisi

Mfundekelwa Mkhulisi

The crisis in Khutsong has taken a turn for the worse with the torching of a home of a Grade 12 pupil on the recovery plan camp in Taung, North West.

Noxolo Notana of Badirile High School will return to find her home burnt to the ground after it was attacked on Wednesday.

Noxolo's father, Anderson Notana, said he was shocked by what happened.

"I lost everything I owned except for the clothes that I am wearing," he said.

Notana said he could not say what the motive was but confirmed that there were threats made against parents who had sent their kids to Taung.

"I received a call at work that my house was on fire."

He said Noxolo joined the camp on Tuesday.

"While on her way to Taung, she called and said she had received a call that her home would be torched because she was a sellout," Notana said.

A neighbour, who only introduced herself as Dimakatso, said she saw smoke coming from Notana's house.

"We tried to douse the fire with water but it was too late," she said.

Khutsong police spokesman Senior Superintendent Melinda Theunissen said though she could not dismiss arson, she could also not rule out the possibility of an electric fault.

"Investigations are going on, but it is likely that it was an electric fault that caused the fire," she said.

Meanwhile, Shadrack Mvula, regional manager of North West's department of education, confirmed that pupils in the camp were receiving threats.

"While we take these threats seriously we also believe these are psychological games."

Mvula said the department would send psychologists to counsel traumatised pupils at the camp.