Court hears Phoenix man threatened to kill family
A neighbour of Kista Chetty, who is accused of burning his wife and children to death in their Phoenix home, says he heard the man threaten to kill them moments before their house went up in flames.
Chetty has pleaded not guilty to premeditated murder and attempted murder in the Durban High Court.
He’s accused of setting fire to his flat in November 2021 after an argument with his wife and a physical altercation with his brother-in-law.
In a plea statement, Chetty told the court that he used petrol to set himself on fire, but that a petrol canister exploded, causing the entire room to go up in flames.
Vikash Singh, who took the stand on Wednesday morning, described Elisha and Chetty as two people who worked hand in hand to support their family.
He went on to detail an argument between Chetty and his wife, and a subsequent physical altercation with his brother-in-law Deon.
Chetty claimed in his plea statement that it was an argument over Deon’s presence in their home which led to the argument.
Singh, who could hear most of the argument from his home, said when Chetty came back at around 2am, he demanded to be let in as he was locked out, banging doors and windows with a bush knife.
Singh told the court he heard Chetty arguing with his wife and using abusive language before saying, “I will kill you” or “kill y’all.”
He described Chetty as a quiet, humble man who had never behaved that way in the past, adding that he never thought Chetty would actually carry out his threats.
Chetty’s legal aid attorney asked Singh why it was that no other witness heard Chetty’s threat, to which Singh said he did not know.
Singh said once he heard the threat, he called the police a number of times.
They only arrived after the house was already on fire.
He believes if the police did respond to the call, Chetty and his family would probably still have been together, as they could have diffused the situation.
Singh also told the court that he only saw Chetty once after the fire, unlike other testimonies from witnesses who said that Chetty was actively helping to put out the flames.
