A Soshanguve husband has been found guilty of killing his wife in a vicious attack with boiling water.
The Pretoria High Court has found Sydney Maseti, 47, guilty of the premeditated murder of his estranged wife, Yvone Yolanda Maseti. The court heard how the Soshanguve man subjected his wife to a brutal and fatal scalding in October 2022.
The court was told that the couple’s relationship had irrevocably broken down over eight months before the tragic incident. The separation was triggered by Maseti’s infidelity, after he was discovered to be in a relationship with his own brother-in-law’s girlfriend. While Maseti remained in the family home with their three children, the 39-year-old Yvonne had moved to a rented room in Soshanguve Block TT in an effort to start anew.
On the evening of October 28, 2022, Maseti went to his wife’s residence. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Lumka Mahanjana, detailed the events that followed.
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“The couple had an arrangement that the wife would care for the children at the marital home while the accused travelled. However, when he could not find her, he returned to her residence later that night,” Mahanjana stated. “An argument ensued between the two and he forced her to return with him to his home.”
Soshanguve Husband Found Guilty of Killing Wife With Boiling Water
Upon arriving at the marital home, the situation escalated into unimaginable violence. Maseti instructed the couple’s three children, aged 16, 13, and 9, to stay in their bedroom. He then assaulted Yvone before scalding her with boiling water in a bathtub. The mother’s agonised screams pierced the house, prompting her eldest child to take desperate action.
“After hearing the mother’s screams, the eldest child alerted the police and reported what was happening,” confirmed Mahanjana.
When officers arrived at the property, the 16-year-old bravely let them in through the gate, at which point Maseti fled the scene. The police discovered Yvone crawling on the lounge floor, where she managed to inform them that her husband was responsible for her horrific injuries.
Yvone Maseti was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment. She fought for her life for over two months but ultimately succumbed to the extensive burn wounds on New Year’s Eve, 31 December 2022. A postmortem examination later confirmed that her death was a direct result of the severe burns, which required significant surgical intervention.
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Maseti, who had denied guilt and claimed the deceased had burnt herself, handed himself over to the Soshanguve police the day after the initial attack. His children were subsequently placed into care. Prosecutor Advocate Lawrence More successfully built the state’s case using testimony from nine witnesses, including three medical experts and the couple’s eldest child. The matter has been postponed to 6 November for the compilation of a pre-sentence report.