Lovers’ tiff ends in tragedy

DOMINIKUS Klaaste (36) killed himself and his four-year-old son, Elvin Vries, after he allegedly set his lover’s corrugated-iron shack on fire after a lovers’ tiff.

Their bodies were burnt to ashes. The incident happened at Aroab village during the early hours of Friday.Klaaste’s lover, Rosa Vries (35), and her two teenage sons, Bernold Vries (17) and Linus Vries (15), sustained serious burns, while Domingo Vries (7) and Rozari Vries (7) escaped unhurt.Linus and Bernold sustained between 30 and 50 per cent burns and were admitted to the Keetmanshoop State Hospital, while their mother sustained burns over 90 per cent of her body.She was referred to the Windhoek Central State Hospital the same day.Rozari and Domingo, who are Klaaste’s sons, were treated for shock.One of the teenage boys, Bernold, told The Namibian that they were asleep and woke up when they felt the heat of the flames.”Both of us began to cry when we realised the shack was in flames,” Bernold said.According to the younger boys, they saw Klaaste pouring petrol from a soft-drink can onto the shack’s floor, which was covered with a carpet, Linus said.He said the younger boys ran from the shack before Klaaste lit the petrol with a lighter.”I cannot recall exactly what the quarrel was all about, but I overheard Klaaste expressing unhappiness over my mother’s refusal to live with him at his house,” Linus said.Linus said he leapt out of the window, while his elder brother ran through the flames to exit through the shack’s door.According to Bernold, Klaaste tried to prevent his mother from escaping the fire, but Bernold came to her rescue and helped her out of the shack.Inspector Coetzee at the Keetmanshoop Police Station yesterday described Rosa’s condition as critical.Aroab is some 160 kilometres north-west of Keetmanshoop.The incident happened at Aroab village during the early hours of Friday.Klaaste’s lover, Rosa Vries (35), and her two teenage sons, Bernold Vries (17) and Linus Vries (15), sustained serious burns, while Domingo Vries (7) and Rozari Vries (7) escaped unhurt.Linus and Bernold sustained between 30 and 50 per cent burns and were admitted to the Keetmanshoop State Hospital, while their mother sustained burns over 90 per cent of her body. She was referred to the Windhoek Central State Hospital the same day.Rozari and Domingo, who are Klaaste’s sons, were treated for shock.One of the teenage boys, Bernold, told The Namibian that they were asleep and woke up when they felt the heat of the flames.”Both of us began to cry when we realised the shack was in flames,” Bernold said.According to the younger boys, they saw Klaaste pouring petrol from a soft-drink can onto the shack’s floor, which was covered with a carpet, Linus said.He said the younger boys ran from the shack before Klaaste lit the petrol with a lighter.”I cannot recall exactly what the quarrel was all about, but I overheard Klaaste expressing unhappiness over my mother’s refusal to live with him at his house,” Linus said.Linus said he leapt out of the window, while his elder brother ran through the flames to exit through the shack’s door.According to Bernold, Klaaste tried to prevent his mother from escaping the fire, but Bernold came to her rescue and helped her out of the shack.Inspector Coetzee at the Keetmanshoop Police Station yesterday described Rosa’s condition as critical.Aroab is some 160 kilometres north-west of Keetmanshoop.