Ikageng peacemaker stabbed to death

“What have I done to you?”

These were the last words of 25-year-old Thapelo Radebe before a knife was allegedly plunged into his chest and he died on the scene at Kanana, Ikageng, in the early hours of last week Sunday. According to his aunt, Sarah Lephoi, it is alleged that her nephew stopped a fight between his friend and the suspect. After the fight was seemingly over and party-goers were dancing, the suspect called Thapelo outside and allegedly stabbed him in the chest. “According to the onlookers, my nephew asked ‘What have I done to you?’ before he was stabbed,” Sarah explained.

“We were woken up by Thapelo’s two friends at 01:00 on Sunday morning. They told us that he had been stabbed. I found him lying in the street and covered with a blanket. At that moment I started screaming for the neighbours to wake up because all I could see were teenagers roaming the streets.”

“How could they brutally kill my nephew?” she asked. When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics declared him dead. The tearful aunt says she is heartbroken and believes that the death penalty should be brought back. “I am going with the community to the Potchefstroom Magistrates Court to protest against the release of the suspect. The aunt did not mince her words when she said, “If the suspect is released, something bad will happen to him.

“Thapelo hated fighting and that’s why he stopped that fight. He was a peacemaker. I have lost an important person in my family.

He did everything for me. He was my hands and feet. He was a hard-working person at home who helped with all the chores and ran errands for me. He was a quiet, loving person. Where will I ever see such a person again?” she asked.

Thapelo’s aunt believes night parties should be banned because that is where crime is committed. According to Sarah, the mother of the party host says Thapelo was the third person to die at her house.

27-year-old Mpho Radebe, Thapelo’s brother, says Thapelo was destined for greater things and always dreamed of being an entrepreneur.

“His life was starting to take shape, he was becoming passionate about work and he was a responsible young man,” he said.

Ikageng SAPS spokesperson, Const. Kelebogile Trom, says a 29-year-old African male was arrested for murder. She urged the youth to avoid staying out late at parties and not to abuse alcohol because it usually leads to quarrels, fights, and deaths. “I am appealing to them also not to carry weapons because it is a criminal offence,” she said.