‘Light at the end of the tunnel’ in SAMWU murders’ case
Timpson Musetsho (50) and Ronald Mani (50) were gunned down in separate incidents in 2019 after openly expressing their dismay at the municipality's investment in the now defunct VBS Mutual Bank.
LIMPOPO – Cosatu provincial secretary Gerald Twala told a large gathering of people, including the relatives of the two slain members of Samwu in the Vhembe District Municipality that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that progress is made with regards to the murder case involving the two.
Timpson Musetsho (50) and Ronald Mani (50) were gunned down in separate incidents in 2019 after openly expressing their dismay at the municipality’s investment in the now defunct VBS Mutual Bank.
Read more: Manhunt still underway for killers of Vhembe SAMWU members
“We are convinced that the murder case was progressing well, as the suspects will finally go to trial in the high court. We want those who hired the hitmen to also be arrested and face the full might of the law,” said Twala.
He addressed hundreds of people including relatives of the deceased, community members and Vhembe Samwu members who gathered outside the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court last Wednesday, when the Radzuma brothers appeared for the murders.
Percy Radzuma (33), Simon Radzuma (26) and Ndivhuwo Radzuma of Makwarela township near Sibasa and a resident of Eswatini (Swaziland) Thabo Sibanze are the accused in the case. They have remained in custody since they first appeared in court.
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Lucky Mani, who represented the Musetsho and Mani families, said he was happy that the case was progressing well and he hoped that those who killed their relatives will go on trial soon.
The state prosecutor in the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court, Mashudu Nekhumbe read out the remarks from the Deputy Director of Public Prosecution, which among others state that the murder case against Sibanze will be provisionally withdrawn, even though he will still be persecuted as an undocumented foreign national, and of being in possession of stolen property.
Of the Radzuma brothers, only Simon and Percy will be pursued for the murder case of Musethso and Mani.
Simon Radzuma is facing 20 charges altogether, while Percy Radzuma faces 27 charges, ranging from the murder of the two Samwu members to conspiracy to murder.
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Thohoyandou Magistrate, Shirley Nemutandani postponed the murder case to September 30 for a trial date in the Limpopo High Court in Thohoyandou.
Even though Ndivhuwo Radzuma will not stand trial for the Samwu murders, he was charged for the murder of another suspect in the same case.
Sibanze will hear the formal charges against him on August 12 and a date for trial in the Sibasa Regional Court.
