A woman who allegedly killed her flatmate by setting fire to the room in which she was with her two daughters was denied bail in the Katima Mulilo Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
It is alleged that Nambwa Matengu (38) set fire to the room in which Nsala Mwazi (42) was sleeping with her two daughters in the town’s Shackdweller area on Monday.
Mwazi and the girls were woken up by the fire, and started screaming for help.
Mwazi managed to push her daughters out through the burglar bars of the flat’s windows, while still screaming for help.
Unfortunately, she was not able to save herself and succumbed to the fire.
It is further alleged that Matengu was found standing around in her room by neighbours doing nothing to help, while Mwazi was crying for help.
The landlord told the police that Matengu and Mwazi were not on good terms.
The police found a blue 5-litre container that smelled of petrol next to Mwazi’s bedroom door.
Matengu was then taken in for interrogation and arrested.
She appeared before magistrate Davy Kambinda on Tuesday and faces three charges: murder, attempted murder and arson.
Matengu was denied bail on conditions that the investigations are still in their preliminary stages, the seriousness of the charges, and that granting her bail would not be in the interest of justice and the public.
Her case was postponed to 5 November for further investigations and to allow her to obtain legal representation.
