No start, no spark, no fuel pump activation?

This is what is listed for anti-theft, it's mostly about the radio code, but if there's a light there has to be a system for security of some kind.

If something is spliced in for security, it will usually make or break a circuit, so something that can interfere with starting or powering up a module. Ive had to bypass some before, most of them were stock and had just failed all together. But I can usually find wiring diagrams for them, This one is proving to be a but more difficult.

Does the Tachometer jump when cranking? If so, that would show us the coil is be commanded at least.
I'm just wondering what you're losing here, is it power to the coil or no command to the coil, which could be checked at the DLC as well with a test light, during cranking there should be a dim flash to a test light on the Tach signal, I mean you caused something to happen when you had the MAF unplugged, I'm questioning the security system, ignition switch, I thought possibly a sensor shorted out inhibiting the ECM from functioning correctly.

I mentioned the MAF because it has the intake air temperature sensor integrated into it, and if a 5volt reference that the sensors use gets shorted to ground through a sensor or wiring issue it will cause the ECM to go down. It can lose injector pulse, spark, etc. Thats sounds like a weak spark, if it just has spark for a short period and then disappears, the coil could be losing power due to various reasons, once current flow starts, a high resistance area will just get worse. If the Tach is not moving even a little bit, (it will only be a very slight jump when cranking at 200-300rpm), But since there's so many important circuits going to the data link connector, you can do the testing right there with a test light and see what's missing during the fault.
Let me get that together for you.

Sorry there's a lot of information here for testing using a meter and test light at the same time in the first diagram, 2nd diagram shows the pins at the DLC you can test the coil control on the Red wire with the test light, you can also monitor the White/Red wire there for constant power from the ignition switch.
The pin to the right of the red wire (coil control) is a Black wire which is ground that can be used when monitoring the White/Red wire for power.
You're probably going to need someone to crank the engine for you so you can watch the test light and meter, the flash on the test light from the coil control is going to be a dim flash, so watch closely.
Take picture of the security system wire splices for me, if its aftermarket, I have to disable those quite often and they are pretty obvious.

That's okay. No, I don't see how you can hook up a random distributor to this setup, I see 9 wires on the wiring diagrams, I would try to figure out what's wrong without changing anything. You need to monitor the power and coil control to see what's dropping out.

Okay, do the wire colors for the distributor on the car now match what is in the wiring diagrams?

Okay so the only thing different on your vehicle is the 3-pin connector in service info has white, red, blue, Then the 6-pin connector is the same except the 1st wire which is Yellow/Violet(purple).
On the 3-wire connector the blue wire is shown as 12v power from the ignition switch, so that's something you could check. I found the connectors pinouts, Ill post that in a sec.
The Yellow/Purple wire in the 6 pin is supposed to be the coil control wire from the ECM.
Do you not have a 12v test light? I realize you being in South Africa access to tools is probably limited there. Let me know what you do have for tools, such as multimeter or not. I understand testing would be very difficult without these things.
We might be able to improvise if you're lacking a test light, by using a marker lamp bulb or head lamp, I apologize, I didn't really think about that.
These are the two connectors for the Dist.
But if we can rig up a couple test lights, you could see if you're losing power to the coil when it's not producing a spark.
I'm wondering, when you were testing for spark that day and left it like that, did you leave the hood open when you were away from the vehicle, and was it potentially sitting in the sun where the ECM might have warmed up?

Okay, if the coil is getting hot and not firing, that means current is flowing through the coil, that's why it's getting hot. And in most cases when a coil is getting super-hot, I will find that the control wire is shorted to ground, I see this happen a lot with 2 wire coils where the ECM doesn't have the ability to shut down the coil to protect the ECM in case of a fault.
When the coil is not firing, check with your test light if the control wire from the ECM is on constantly, in the below diagram the highlighted blue-ish wire I marked is the wire that runs from the coil through the transistor to ground. But for current to flow that transistor has to be either active from a voltage signal from the ECM or its starting to fail inside and shorting itself internally allowing current to flow through the coil to ground.

Thanks for the picture of the 6-pin connector, I see the wires are not in the same location as the diagram. The diagram shows the Yellow/Purple wire is supposed to be the wire the ECM will send out a voltage pulse to the Base of the control transistor. So, with an LED test light hooked to ground it should flash as the ECM signals to the transistor's Base, I tried to show as best as possible on the diagram below.
Using an LED test light is the best way to test ECM circuits because they are such low current devices.