A South African woman was doused in methylated spirits and set alight after she took R25 worth of meat from a Spar shop without paying.

The woman who has not been named was hospitalised for two weeks at Musina hospital with severe burns and discharged on 23 November. She is now recovering at a friend’s house where she is struggling to sleep and walk.

Three people have since been arrested in connection with the incident, two were employees of the store and have since been dismissed and will appear in court in January.

“I am still struggling to walk or sleep. The pain is too much at night especially on my right leg,”

She said it took her almost two hours to walk less than a kilometre to the taxi rank for a taxi to the hospital, where she has to go four times a week to have the wound dressed.

She said she feared permanent injury and had lost hope of getting back to her normal life.

Spar head office said after the incident that the two employees involved had been suspended pending a disciplinary process. This week the company said they had been dismissed.

Spar had undertaken to pay the victim’s medical costs and had asked the hospital to provide these. “This will include both those on admission and any subsequent related costs.”