Johannesburg - A horrific scene is sketched out by the remnants of the burnt vehicle in open veld.
The powder from the fire extinguisher that was used to put the flames out trace the shape of the Toyota Camry, which was parked metres away from the corner of Shastri Street in Azaadville on the West Rand.
Broken glass, pieces from the car’s tyre and scrap metal lie alongside a patch of burnt grass.
Just hours earlier, a grandfather had locked the car and set it alight. He and his 4-year-old grandson were inside.
When the boy’s parents left for work on Wednesday morning, they did not know it was the last time they would see their child.
Residents and the police noticed the flames on the overcast afternoon, but their efforts to extinguish the fire and save the two were unsuccessful.
They were both confirmed dead at the scene.
Gauteng police spokesman Kay Makhubela said the boy was left in the care of his grandfather and a domestic worker when his parents left that morning.
Hours later, the grandfather called the boy’s father, warning him of his murderous intent.
“The boy’s grandfather phoned the father and told him that he had the child and that he was going to kill him and himself,” said Makhubela.
The distraught father alerted the police telling them his young son was in danger.
He pleaded with them to try to rescue him from his grandfather.
But the police were too late. While on the lookout, they discovered the burning car, with the dead occupants trapped inside.
Makhubela said the motive behind the arson attack was unknown but the police were investigating.
The Star