Durban — On Thursday the family of a teen who was beaten up and killed and his remains stuffed into a bag and tossed into a river, left the Verulam Magistrate’s Court disappointed after finding out that the judgment in the matter had been postponed to another date.
Nkosibomvu Secondary Grade 12 pupil Andile “Bobo” Mbuthu,16, was murdered in 2020 during Covid-19 lockdown accused of stealing alcohol from a local tavern by his alleged killers.
Seven men were initially arrested for his murder, including a minor, however, one of them Mlungisi Thabethe, 26, who was the owner of the Magagula’s Lounge from which Mbuthu had allegedly stolen alcohol was gunned down while in his VW Polo in 2021.
Only five of the arrested men stood trial as the minor had become a State Section 202 witness.
The accused are Andile Nhleko, 27, Mncedisi Mzobe, 27, Siyanda Msweli, 26, Lindani Ndlovu, 26, and Malusi Mthembu, 27.
Mbuthu’s family along with their fellow congregants from their church only learnt when they arrived at court that the date for the judgment had been changed to July.
A video of the aftermath of Mbuthu’s torture and assault went viral on social media at the time of his murder, causing an uproar in the community. The tavern where Mbuthu was alleged to have stolen from was set alight.
He had been missing for a week before his remains were found in the Tongaat River.
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Daily News