Touching tributes from the Mudau family and peers of slain Samkelo Mudau called for justice and swift apprehension of the killers at the candlelight ceremony in honour of the memory of the 21-year-old, which was held in Soweto, Gauteng, over the weekend.

The collective group that gathered at the scene where Mudau took his last breath said those responsible should be found and dealt a harsh sentence.

Fondly referred to as Pata, his lifeless body was found in an open veld behind the former Sasol garage in Zondi 2 on the morning of July 3.

According to the family, he left his Meadowlands home on that Tuesday morning to go to a relative’s house, where he was sent to fetch a braai pack and money, when he was attacked on his way back by an unknown suspect(s) a few kilometres from his relative’s home.

His body had been spotted by a passer-by, who alerted the police and the broader community to the scene.

Family representative Khosi Sithole said: “We want his killers to be arrested. We are appealing to anyone who saw what happened or knows who is behind this horrible act to get in contact with the police. Those people don’t belong in public, they should be arrested and have to face the full might of the law for their actions.”

The family told Soweto Urban News that the preliminary findings suggest that it was a robbery, as the suspects got away with the braai pack and the money. They added that he had sustained stab wounds to his upper chest area.

Sithole, who was among the first at the scene, said no one could have prepared them for his death.

“When we got here, we saw the body lying here, and we asked the police to open it for us, but they insisted they could not. We waited here, trying to get a glance at this person. I looked at what this person was wearing, and I knew that it was him. I rushed back home to ask what he had been wearing, and they said grasshoppers, and we came back, and indeed it was him.”

The family and peers described him as a kind and friendly boy who was unselfish and put others before himself.

“He was a good person, when you called him somewhere, he would never refuse and come running. Always cheerful and ready to help out,” Sithole continued. “We live in a cruel world, why could they not take what they wanted and spare his life?”

Distraught cousin Tsakane Mudau said she is still shocked at his sudden death, describing their relationship as one that was extremely close.

“When we went to collect his body at forensics, I tried to calm down my emotions, but it confirmed that he was truly gone. His hand was in a fist, which indicates that he probably fought them. He was no different from being my son, that is why I still cannot believe that he is gone,” she recalled.

“I didn’t know sending him to Zondi would lead him to his death. This is guilt I am going to carry for the rest of my life. Maybe if I had not sent him, he would still be with us. Maybe if I suggested that he goes later, he would still be alive. When I saw him lying here helplessly, my mind drifted to his last moments what he went through, what he said, trying to save his life.”

No suspects have been arrested for the killing. A murder case has been opened at the Jabulani Police Station.