Cape Town -
A Cape Town man was set alight and badly injured on Tuesday morning when he was petrol-bombed in his car after an argument.
The police cordoned off Wesley Street in Gardens while paramedics gave him on-scene medical treatment.
Police spokeswoman Constable Noloyiso Rwexana said an unidentified man was set alight at about 8am.
“The circumstances surrounding this incident are being investigated. Cases of attempted murder and malicious damage to property are being investigated. The suspect is yet to be arrested.”
Police did not release the injured man’s name on Tuesday morning.
ER24 spokeswoman Chitra Bodasing said the man sustained severe burn wounds and was transported to hospital.
Bodasing said the man, believed to be in his fifties, was removed from the partially burnt vehicle by a Fire and Rescue team.
Paramedics found that he was in a critical condition.
The German businessman, who lives in the city, was in intense pain, screaming and lifting his legs.
Joseph Rashid, who works close to where the incident took place, said he went outside after hearing a loud noise.
“We were working when we heard a bang, and on going outside to see what was happening. We saw a man and his car burning and ran back to our site and collected sand so we could put out the flames.”
Rashid said, they didn’t want the fire to spread because it would have killed the man and damaged other properties.
Jeanette Neeser, who lives a few metres from the scene, said her dog started barking when the injured person and another man started arguing loudly. Then she saw his car burning and rushed inside her house to call the police.
Another resident, Warwick Peterson, said: “He had an argument with his worker and I think it might have been over money. I heard a big bang when the petrol bomb hit his car.”
City Traffic Services spokesman Richard Coleman said they had to close the road because of the damaged vehicle but the closure didn’t affect the traffic flow.
Cape Argus