Daily Sun (January 3 2014) - ESTHER no longer wanted to live with the constant fighting with neighbours who accused her of evil deeds and even murder.
And when angry neighbours broke into her house . . . they found maize meal and water on the floor. The smell of petrol hung in the air.
ESTHER HAD SET HERSELF ON FIRE.
"I wanted to die with all my sins," she told Daily Sun.
The life of Esther Mnisi (29) of Pretoria West was saved by her mother Mitah Mnisi (48), who killed the flames and mixed water with maize meal and rubbed it into her skin.
Esther had set herself alight after a confrontation with a neighbour.
The neighbour was fetching water when, he claimed, he heard the mother and the daughter saying they were going to take one more life on 15 January.
He said that when he asked them what they meant, they told him they had cast a spell on his brother about a week before his death.
The neighbour's brother died in a motor vehicle accident on 20 December.
The neighbour said he then called residents and they went to the RDP of Mitah and Esther. They stoned the house, smashed windows and broke down the front door to get inside.
That was when they found Mitah treating Esther's burn wounds. Mitah Mnisi has been at war with her neighbours ever since she moved into Lotus Garden in 2004.
She appeared in Daily Sun on 23 September last year under the headline: "Kasi's worst neighbour!"
Angry residents also claimed the two women were involved in other cases where people died soon after arguing with them.
After the latest drama, the injured Esther was seen walking along Joe Modise Street on her way to the hospital while residents hurled insults at her.
"It is you and your mother's evil deeds that made you want to take your life," a man shouted.
When Daily Sun asked why she had tried to kill herself, she said: "I want to die with all my sins."
See the Daily Sun mobi site for more on this and other stories....
The Daily Sun is South Africa's largest daily newspaper with an average circulation of 291,132 (Audit Bureau of Circulations 3rd Quarter 2013) and a readership of 5.7m (as per AMPS 2012ab). Its Facebook page can be accessed here. It can be followed on Twitter here. To find about advertising on the Daily Sun click here.
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