The general secretary of the South African Communist Party (SACP), Mr Solly Mapaila, said he hoped that the kingpins behind the murder in 2019 of the two SAMWU officials, Timpson Musetsho and Ronald Mani, would finally be arrested along with the killers and heavily punished for their deeds.
Mapaila addressed hundreds of people at the third annual memorial lecture that was held at the Thohoyandou Town Hall on Saturday, 4 February, in remembrance of the two slain officials, who were gunned down in separate incidents for openly slamming municipalities in the Vhembe District that had invested millions of rands of public funds in the now-liquidated VBS Mutual Bank.
Mapaila was joined by Provincial SACP member and MEC for Education Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya, National Executive Member of the ANC Soviet Lekganyane, Executive Mayor of the Vhembe District Dowelani Nenguda, and other guests.
Mapaila said that part of the memorial lecture was aimed at fighting for justice to be done and to urge the communities to continue to support the families of the two victims. He said that the delaying tactics that were used in arresting the suspects was a matter of grave concern.
Mr Matodzi Nevondo, one of the representatives of the two families, said that the support the affected families had been receiving so far was much appreciated. He called on leaders to mobilise communities to come in larger numbers when the pre-trial started in the Limpopo High Court in Thohoyandou from 20 to 24 March this year. Three of the suspects, the Radzuma brothers (Percy, Simon and Ndivhuwo), will appear on charges ranging from murder to conspiracy to commit murder.
Their co-accused, Thabo Sibanze, will appear in the Sibasa Regional Court on 13 February on charges of intimidation and being in the country illegally.