Cape Town - A Bonteheuwel father has denied trying to burn his son alive by setting his Wendy house on fire.
Ricardo Benjamin, says while his 16-year-old son is a naughty son, he would never try to kill his own child.
This follows a fire which broke out on Benjamin’s yard on Sunday night.
When the Daily Voice visited the Bramble Way home, rumours swirled among neighbours that Benjamin “got gatvol of his druggie son” and started the fire intentionally, using petrol.
“Hy het mos gesê hy gaan die kind brand maar wat van almal van ons wat hier bly (He said that he will burn the child but what about everyone else who lives here),” a woman was heard saying.
Ward councillor, Angus McKenzie, says he called the City’s Fire and Rescue Services who responded in a matter of minutes.
Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson, Theo Layne, says they arrived at 9:24pm and managed to stop the fire from spreading.
“The fire was extinguished by 9:35pm and there were no injuries. According to the report there is nothing that indicates arson or a petrol bomb. The cause is still undetermined at this stage.”
Benjamin says shortly before the fire started he spotted a gang member on his property.
“When I came outside I saw him. He ran away and that’s when I saw the flames."
The dad adds: “My seun is stout en hy maak my kwaad omdat hy drugs rook maar ek is ’* bekeerde man en sal nooit my eie kind vermoor nie. (My son is naughty and he makes me angry because he did drugs but I am born-again Christian and won't kill my own child) ”
Police spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel André Traut, confirms there is no record of an arson charge or petrol bomb incident.