Jealousy, Betrayal and Brutality:
The True Story of How a Matric Pupil Was Abducted and Set Alight in Brits, South Africa
In June 2015, the quiet town of Brits in the North West Province was shaken by a crime so senseless and cruel that it continues to haunt South Africans nearly a decade later. It is a story of teenage jealousy that spiraled into murderous rage, of friends who chose violence over reason, and of a young life extinguished before it ever had the chance to bloom. This is the devastating true story of Boitumelo Dlamini, an 18-year-old Grade 12 learner — and the women who abducted and burned her alive.
On the morning of 18 June 2015, Boitumelo arrived at school like any other day. She was a matric pupil at a high school in Letlhabile, a township outside Brits. Described as bright, ambitious and soft-spoken, she reportedly dreamed of working in the legal field or becoming an investigator. But her hopes, her future and her life would be brutally stolen over something heartbreakingly trivial — a dispute involving an ex-boyfriend.
Cynthia Mosupi believed that Boitumelo was dating her former partner. Instead of moving on, she nurtured her jealousy and anger until it turned into something far darker. Consumed by rage, she enlisted the help of her friend, Sharon Gugu Thwala, along with other acquaintances. They claimed they wanted to “talk” to Boitumelo, but what they truly intended was far more sinister. Boitumelo had no idea that the women who walked onto her school grounds that day weren’t coming to confront her — they were coming to kill her.
Witnesses recalled seeing Boitumelo being forced into a car by Mosupi, Thwala and others. Her classmates watched helplessly as the attackers sped away. She was taken to a remote, bushy area near the Klipgat cemetery, a lonely place where no one could hear her screams or come to her rescue.
There, the attackers dragged Boitumelo from the vehicle. They insulted her, shoved her to the ground, and poured petrol over her trembling body. Terrified and confused, she begged for her life. Her pleas were ignored. One of the attackers set her alight, watching as flames swallowed her body. A chilling detail later came out in court: one of the group recorded the entire ordeal on a cellphone, capturing the victim’s screams, terror and agony.
Boitumelo suffered severe burns over most of her body. She died shortly after the attack, her final moments filled with unimaginable pain. The brutality stunned the nation, and the courtroom would later describe her death as “barbaric, inhumane and cold.”
During their trial in the North Gauteng High Court, Mosupi and Thwala attempted to distance themselves from the act. They insisted that they only meant to scare Boitumelo by pouring petrol on her, claiming her death was an accident caused by a stray match or cigarette. But forensic experts dismissed this explanation entirely. Petrol cannot ignite without direct contact with a flame. The court found that the attack was deliberate, coordinated and fully intended to kill.
Both women were found guilty of kidnapping and murder. By 2018, Mosupi had been sentenced to 18 years in prison, and Thwala to 14 years. Prosecutors described the attack as a calculated execution fueled not by passion, but by wounded pride and unchecked jealousy. Other accomplices faced additional charges in related proceedings.
Despite the convictions, justice cannot restore the life that was taken. Boitumelo was not just another victim of violence. She was an 18-year-old girl with a family who loved her, friends who admired her, and a promising future ahead of her. Her life was ripped away in a moment of cruelty that can never be undone.
True crime stories often linger with us because they force us to confront the darkest aspects of human behavior. In this case, it is a reminder of how jealousy and ego can escalate into deadly violence — and how vulnerable young women remain in the face of such dangers. Boitumelo Dlamini deserved better. Her memory continues to shine as a symbol of the urgent need to protect young women and confront gender-based violence in South Africa.
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