Johannesburg - Love can transform into a devouring fire when it is fuelled by entitlement and force-fed, consuming all reason and leaving behind only the ashes of selfish impulsiveness.
The case of 36-year-old Ramatsela Ramushu, who was recently sentenced to life in prison by the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, for the premeditated murder of Mthetheleli Gwanya, her lover, reminds us that entitlement is a disease.
Gwanya’s fate was sealed by the revelation that he had been leading a double life, concealing from Ramushu the existence of another woman and two children. It is a scenario that is all too familiar in relationships, where secrets fester like poison. Instead of addressing this betrayal with dialogue, Ramushu chose a path of darkness, inviting Gwanya to her home in Mooikloof Ridge.
What followed is nothing short of a horrifying descent into madness. Gwanya, unsuspecting and vulnerable, fell victim to Ramushu’s sinister plot. She made breakfast and spiked his drink, rendering him drowsy and defenceless. She then proceeded to handcuff him. Like the moments they have shared, love fleeted out of the window and death seeped in. The unspeakable brutality escalated as she poured boiling water on him, and hacked him several times with an axe on his neck until he died.
Many men and women have died for less. Gwanya died for loving another woman. I doubt if he didn’t have two children with her the hacks on his neck would have felt any different.
Indifferent to the value of his life, she figured “if he doesn’t love me, and only me willingly, God willing he will love no one. And those he loves will hurt until they die too”.
Entitlement is a disease, betrayal is treacherous. A relationship built on entitlement and betrayal is like a garden tended by two wolves in sheep’s clothing. One wolf pretends to be a gardener, while the other expects to be fed. Together, they can only reap what they sow – a garden of thorns and weeds. Now Gwanya’s family mourns and bleeds from this woman’s scorn and deeds.
Indeed it is advised, but be careful when you are childlike in love because resorting to murder is a childish act.
Just as a toddler, throwing a tantrum, smashing belongings because they didn’t get their way or felt betrayed, a lover turned murderer will resort to the most extreme and destructive actions, akin to a child’s reckless outburst.
The aftermath of this gruesome act was equally unsettling. Following the incident, Ramushu covered her dead lover’s body with a blanket and left it in her garage. After cleaning the area, she attempted to end her own life by consuming petrol before leaving the scene in the victim’s car.
She was later found unconscious in that car on the roadside and was arrested the same day at the hospital. In court, Ramushu pleaded not guilty to the charges and told the court that the incident was an accident.
Her love was a devouring fire, when the flames died down, so did her lover.