Cape Town - A man who allegedly sexually assaulted his girlfriend’s eight-year-old daughter, will now also go on trial for trying to kill the mother by dousing her with petrol and setting her alight.
Ismail Samuels was arrested in March for attempted murder and is expected to appear at the Mitchells Plain Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday for the continuation of his bail application.
Samuels was arrested and released on bail last year after he allegedly attacked the child while she and her mother slept in their bed.
In March, he allegedly attempted to kill the child’s 36-year-old mother by dousing her with petrol, which he kept in an Energade bottle.
Mitchells Plain mother shows burns to her arms and body. Picture: Tracey Adams/ ANA
The woman, who cannot be identified, on Tuesday spoke out for the first time since the attack.
The mom of three, who is a recovering drug addict, says she was attending a meeting of Narcotics Anonymous in Kreupelhout Street, in Lentegeur, when Samuels came to her.
She says he is also a drug addict and they’ve been dating for two years.
She says Samuels asked her to help him sell products like bath oil before attacking her.
She was left with third-degree burns to her arms, neck and chest and spent two months in hospital.
“I remember I was outside to attend the meeting at Narcotics Anonymous and he asked me to help him to sell the products,” she tells the Daily Voice.
She says she went with him to sell the products door to door, but when she wanted to return to the meeting, he became angry and allegedly told her “I will show you”.
“He then took out a bottle and there was petrol in and he threw it on me,” the woman says
She says she remembers very little after that and woke up in hospital in pain.
“I was shown my burnt clothing later and then I realised what had happened.”
The couple are still together and the mother says in court last week, Samuels turned around in the dock and told her he loved her.
“I have already forgiven him because if God forgives, how can we not?” she says.
The mother confirmed her boyfriend was arrested for sexually assaulting her daughter but refused to speak about the incident.
Her three children have since been placed in the care of relatives.
The woman’s mother says Samuels is “obsessed” with her daughter.
“I was already preparing for her janaazah (before he tried to kill her) because I could see he had a hold on her,” the granny says.
“She had a protection order against him. I hope this is a turning point for her.”