On November 1, 2021, Kista Sergie Chetty had an argument with his wife and brother-in-law.
They chased Mr Chetty out of the house, and this made him furious.
Chetty returned in the middle of the night. His daughter let him in, and he decided he would exact his revenge on them by burning down the house.
On Monday December 4, the Durban High Court sentenced Mr Chetty, 59, to five terms of life imprisonment and an additional 49-year imprisonment for the five counts of murder, six counts of attempted murder and arson that took place on November 1, 2021, in the Phoenix area, said Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
Mr Chetty lived with his wife, Elisha Naidoo and their five minor children in a house which they rented in Kidstone Place, Phoenix. They shared the house with other family members, including his wife’s brother.
On October 31, 2021, Mr Chetty had an argument with his wife and his brother-in-law, and they chased Mr Chetty away from the house, said Ms Ramkisson-Kara.
He then harassed the occupants of the house wanting to be let back inside, but they did not allow him in, and they went to sleep.
In the early hours of the following morning, one of Mr Chetty’s daughters opened the door and let him back inside the house.
“Once inside the house, Chetty decided to kill them. Since he was employed as a grass cutter, there was a grass cutting machine in the house. He decanted petrol out of the machine and poured it onto the floor. He lit a fire and fled the scene,” said Ms Ramkisson-Kara.
“The bedroom where his wife and children slept was destroyed by the fire, together with other adjoining rooms of the house. Chetty’s wife, three of their children and a nephew died in the blaze. Their causes of death being either 100% flame burns to the body, smoke inhalation and/or burns. The remaining family members were able to escape. Chetty was arrested later the same day.”
In court, senior state advocate Krishen Shah, led the testimonies of the family members who survived the fire, their neighbours, as well as the evidence of a specialist fire expert.
Mr Shah also handed in a Victim Impact Statement compiled by one of Chetty’s daughters and facilitated by court preparation officer Thandeka Nadi Mofokeng.
“In her statement the girl said that the trauma of the incident still haunts her, and she often has sleepless nights. She said that she now only has her younger sister as her father is in prison and her mother and other siblings are dead. She further added that her younger sister is struggling to cope and misses their family. Chetty was sentenced to a term of life imprisonment for each of the five counts of murder, seven years imprisonment for each of the six counts of attempted murder and seven years imprisonment for arson. The sentences will run concurrently resulting in the effective sentence of life imprisonment,” said Ms Ramkisson-Kara.
Ms Ramkisson-Kara added that the actions of the accused in this matter were heinous and the NPA hopes that this sentence sends the necessary deterrent message.
She also commended the work relations between prosecution and South African Police Service (SAPS) counterparts.