The two Radzuma brothers, Simon and Ndivhuwo, will be back in court on 20 January when their murder-and-robbery trial resumes. They will appear alongside their brother, Percy, in the Thohoyandou division of the Limpopo High Court. The three siblings face more than 40 charges, including the murder of two SAMWU officials from Vhembe in 2019.
Simon and Ndivhuwo appeared in the Thohoyandou Magistrate's Court on 13 December last year, applying for bail. The bail application was opposed by the State because of the seriousness of the offences. State Prosecutor in the Thohoyandou Magistrate's Court Ms Mashudu Nekhumbe said that Simon was facing six counts of murder and several counts of robbery involving firearms. Nekhumbe stated that the case against the two men was very strong, with more than 70 witnesses already testifying.
Nekhumbe explained that the court had ruled not to grant bail as the two accused had failed to prove exceptional circumstances. The fact that the accused had to be hunted down by the police did not work in their favour. They were arrested in Tzaneen, where they were staying in rented rooms. During the arrest, an unlicensed firearm and ammunition—allegedly used in a robbery in Giyani—were also found.
The spokesperson for the Musetsho and Mani families, Ms Rabelani Mphaphuli, expressed gratitude that the Radzuma brothers were denied bail. "The bail denial shows that the court takes the case seriously. The court's decision in denying the Radzuma brothers bail gives us hope that justice will be served. We hope the trial will be swift, bringing closure to the families. Justice must prevail. We would like to thank the community members and SAMWU leaders for their continued support," said Mphaphuli.