Tonga - A lack of evidence resulted in a man accused of setting alight a neighbour's house walking free on Friday.
Sifiso Thwala, of Shulzendal village in Mpumalanga, pleaded not guilty to arson when he appeared in the Boschfontein Regional Court, a Sapa correspondent reported.
Magistrate Edgar Moletsane told the court he could not find any reason not to release Thwala because the police had failed to provide sufficient photographic evidence from the scene.
Moletsane said the police had provided photographs of walls and floor tiles, but that these did not reflect the extent of the damage.
Thwala's legal aid lawyer told the court his client was asleep the night Bheki Lubisi's house was set alight.
However, Lubisi testified that Thwala entered his four roomed house on at 1am on March 16, 2013 and burnt it down.
“I recognised him when he looked at me while I was giving a chase. That is when I saw him,” said Lubisi.
Sapa