Malema: Cop father of teen implicated in Thoriso Themane murder must be arrested

Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema voiced his opinion on the murder of 27-year-old Thoriso Themane, whose body was found dumped on Erasmus and Cestrum Avenue in Flora Park, Polokwane, over the weekend.

Malema was responding to a statement released by national commissioner of the SAPS, General Khehla John Sitole in which he condemned the murder of Themana and also condemned the video of a suspect who bragged about his “powerful” cop father.

In the video, a pupil who took the video asked the 15-year-old suspect if he was happy that he killed someone, to which he replied in Sepedi: “I know you cannot do anything to my father.”

Sithole said: “The social media post also reflected one of the young suspect’s claiming to be a son of a senior policeman and that the police could do nothing about what he had done. The same suspect is now among those behind bars and he is the son of a retired SAPS Warrant Officer.

“His arrest is clearly indicative that nobody can claim to be above the law and expect to get away with heinous deeds. Any act of vigilantism is as much criminal as the action of the person accused of committing a crime.”

The arrested five grade nine and ten students will appear in the Polokwane Magistrate Court on Thursday on a charge of murder.

However, the EFF leader said the father of the 15-year-old suspect, who is a retired warrant officer, must also be arrested.

“His father must be arrested and charged with defeating the ends of justice because he was hiding a criminal,” alleged the EFF leader.

His father must be arrested and charged with defeating the ends of justice because he was hiding a criminal.

— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) February 27, 2019

The EFF leader’s tweet received varying opinions from his followers, with some agreeing with him, while others said the father played no part in the son’s actions.

“But the statement says the boy is arrested among other accused, why must the father be arrested are we not suppose to investigate if the father had any involvement or tried to influence this in anyhow? must we arrest a father because his evil son bragged about him being a cop?” said@kabelodick, while @eish_ntwana said: “Too much gangsterism happening at Seshego and surrounding townships CIC. Something needs to be done! ASAP.”

However, the father said his son was mistaken for thinking he was above the law. He further said he never sent his son to do crime, implying he had no knowledge of his son’s actions outside the confines of his home.

He told TimesLive: “I can’t send my son to do crime, it was just a group of naughty boys who got involved in something they know nothing about. Apparently, they chased the suspect until he jumped into a nearby property where a woman at the property summoned help. Two men responded and one of them hit the [now] deceased with a wheel spanner. So when my son and his friends joined in the attack, the man had already been bleeding.”

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