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Thoriso Themane murder: Case of nine minors and two adults ready for trial
Drama started when one of the minors' parents objected to the Themane family's representative taking down the names of the accused as they were called.
Image: iStock
There was drama in the Limpopo High Court in Polokwane on Wednesday during the appearance of nine minors and two adults who are accused of the murder of Thoriso Themane.
The drama started when one of the minors’ parents strongly objected because the Themane family’s representative, Kevin Pohotona, took down the names of the accused as they were called.
Pohotona was told that the case involved minors and that he should desist from taking notes or face being barred from attending further court sessions.
After the court session, he told News24 that “he would abide by the court’s decision because I don’t want to jeopardise future attendance of court hearings”.
The nine minors and two adults, Alfred Mothapo and Chuene Maleka, are expected to be tried for assault and murder from January 27 to February 7, next year.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mashudu Malabi told the media outside court that the State was ready to start with the trial next year.
“The defence team [of the adult accused] has been allowed to approach the office of the DPP (Directorate for Public Prosecution) for any further details,” Malabi said.
Mothapo, 36, told the court during a bail application in March this year that he was with Maleka, 37, visiting a friend in another section of Polokwane when he received a distressed call from his wife about an intruder at home.
On arrival, the “intruder”, who turned out to be Themane, had already left. He was later cornered at a local park.
At that time, several minors arrived and demanded a cellphone which they claimed the “intruder” had stolen from one of them.
Mothapo then called the police who did not respond. The minors took the “intruder” away with them.
Themane’s murder on February 23 this year was captured on video and it went viral on social media.
Mothapo and Maleka are out on R1,000 bail each.
The minors were granted bail of R2,000 each with strict conditions, which includes relocating from Polokwane and avoiding any acts of violence during the trial.
They were also barred from visiting any school in the Polokwane district.
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