The 29-year-old suspect, who cannot be named as he is yet to appear in court, allegedly set his son on fire at the Frank Basson informal settlement at Gibeon after learning that his mother has a new romantic interest.

He allegedly poured flammable hand sanitiser all over the child’s body before setting him alight and leaving the scene.

Hardap crime investigations coordinator deputy commissioner Eric Clay confirmed the incident.

According to a police report, the suspect collected his son from his grandmother’s house on Friday at around 20h00, as he usually does.

He reportedly informed Markus through a text message that he was taking the boy to his house for the night.

Markus said she did not consent to the boy’s father taking him, adding she suspected he had been physically hurting the toddler.

After midnight, the man took the boy back to his grandmother’s house, where he allegedly set him on fire.

“He had a beautiful relationship with his son. That’s why we are shocked over what he did,” Markus said, adding that they have been in an on-and-off relationship for eight years before she decided to call it quits in December.She said their relationship as co-parents was normal and amicable, but the boy’s father recently became violent towards her.

Markus says he sent her threatening messages on Friday, saying he would hurt her, upon which she went to the police to open a case against him.

The police advised her not to reply to the messages, she said.

After the incident, the boy’s grandmother (60) managed to rush him to a community hospital, from where he was later transferred to Mariental State Hospital.

The suspect is expected to appear in the Gibeon Magistrate’s Court today.