The families of two of the young men, who were killed in a mob justice incident in Sebokeng this past weekend, have denied that their children had been involved in a murder.
The killing had reportedly sparked mob justice against the three young men who died after being beaten, stabbed and torched to death by members of the community on Sunday morning.
The parents of Jimmy “Boy” Rakobela and Siyabonga Blandile believe their two men were innocent. At the time of their deaths, they had been celebrating a job opportunity for Blandile.
On Thursday, the community of Orange Farm gathered for a candlelight ceremony for the three men.
Daniel Rakobela, told “The Star” that his brother was not a violent man.
“Jimmy did not deserve to die like this. He was a man of peace who never advocated for violence. Whatever is being said about him, that he went to Sebokeng to fight, is a lie. He was not a violent man but someone who loved people and was loved by people,” Daniel said.
Jimmy’s sister, Kgari Rakobela, reiterated her brother’s sentiments, saying she could only imagine how his younger brother might have felt when the community attacked him.
“Knowing him and how he hated violence, I can imagine how much he screamed when he was being stabbed. The fact that he died in such a violent manner does not sit well with me and as a family. We are deeply saddened by the manner in which he died and what happened to him as he was there to look for a job in the first place and was in the verge of finding one after his friend, Siyabonga, had found a job and was due to start work this week,” she said
Siyabonga’s mother, Ntombizanele Blandile, said she had responded to a frantic call, telling her that her son was being beaten up by the community in Sebokeng Zone 12.
Ntombizanele travelled the 20km or to Sebokeng from Orange Farm. By the time she had arrived, it had been too late – her son had been beaten, stabbed and doused with petrol while police and other community members stood watching.
“The police did nothing to help my son. They were just standing there and on my arrival, I saw that my son was in deep pain. His intestines were on the ground, his one eye shut while his other eye was coming out of its socket. It hurt me deeply to see him like that,“ she said.
Siyabonga’s grandmother, Gladys Dlamini, said her 22 year-old grandson had been in a celebratory mood after finding a job. He and Jimmy had been search for employment for months.
Dlamini said that what made the situation even worse was that her grandson, who had been taking care of her in their home in Sebokeng, had been looking forward to celebrating his 23rd birthday.
“My grandson was killed for nothing. He and his friend, Jimmy, who frequently visited my grandson and I, had promised to come back early but when I was woken up to news that they were being beaten up by the community, I fainted. He was due to start his new job today and had been looking forward to earning a living,“ she said.
Police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo said on Thursday that the investigation into the murder of the three young men was ongoing and no arrests had been made.
Earlier in the week, the police said the vigilante attack on the three young men in retaliation for the three allegedly robbing and killing a 29-year-old man from the same neighbourhood.
“The community was mobilised and went searching for the suspects. They found them hiding inside a container and took them to Sebokeng Zone 12 where they assaulted and burnt them. All three vigilantism victims were certified dead on the scene. Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni has strongly condemned this act of vigilantism.”
The Star