VEREENIGING – Three suspects are on trial at the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court for the brutal murder of Vereeniging resident and father of two, Thabiso Moses Raditsela (30).

The incident happened at a house just a few metres from his home. It is said that at this house, Raditsela was allegedly hacked with a machete, stabbed multiple times, and axed on the head.

His body was subsequently placed in a pick-it-up bin and thrown near a stream in Vereeniging.

According to his sister, Nomathemba Raditsela, the deceased disappeared on June 4, 2024, after visiting a local tavern with a group of friends.

“My brother didn’t come back home on the Monday. His friends said they last saw him at the tavern. Being frightened for his safety, we went to the Vereeniging Police Station to report him missing. We had a picture of him, and when we showed the picture to the police, we were immediately informed that the police had made a gruesome discovery of a body fitting the description of my brother earlier that morning.”

Raditsela said the incident sent shockwaves through Vereeniging, leaving residents feeling unsafe.

“My family has resided in Vereeniging for the past 20 years, and we never imagined that something like this could ever happen. We ask ourselves if there was a need for the perpetrators to kill my brother in the manner that they did. The only thing that my brother did was to love his family and his kids. He was a breadwinner and a pillar of our family.”

The family now seeks justice for what happened.

During the first day of the trial on April 1, the court heard from a state witness how Raditsela begged the suspects to let him go and stop what they were doing to him, but instead, the suspects raised the volume of a speaker and continued until he died.

More witnesses are expected to give chilling details about what happened to Raditsela on the day. The trial is set to continue on May 13. The three suspects remain in custody.