Mduduzi Lakaje, who briefly appeared in the same court on Monday (29/6), was arrested on Thursday on the farm where the incident occurred. He has been charged with two counts of murder.

Another man, 31, who was previously arrested after he was allegedly found in possession of blood-stained trousers belonging to one of the two boys, 9 and 14, has been charged. The brothers were attacked and fatally assaulted in their home.

“The accused person in the double murder at the Toekoms farm has been remanded in custody until Tuesday, 7 July,” said Free State police spokesperson WO Mmako Mophiring.

“He will appear for his formal bail application; he is still in custody.”

The brothers, Reanetswe and Thabiso Lakaje, were allegedly attacked and severely assaulted by a known suspect on the farm for reasons that remain unclear.

The two boys were later discovered near the doorway of their home by a security guard. Both their hands and mouths were bound with a cloth. The security guard alerted the farm manager, prompting an emergency response.

Emergency services were called to the scene. The elder brother, Thabiso, was found deceased upon discovery. Reanetswe was still alive at the time and was rushed to a nearby hospital.

Despite efforts by medical personnel, he later succumbed to his injuries. Their mother was at work during the incident and was informed afterwards.

Squqa Mazibuko, 31, a cattle herder, was arrested shortly after the murders after a bloodstained pair of trousers was found in his possession. He appeared in court on Friday on a charge of conspiracy to commit murder. However, Mazibuko was released after the charges against him were withdrawn. 

Children murders

The Crime Against Children series shows that while adult-murder rates fluctuate sharply, the rate of child murders has remained stubbornly constant over the past decade. 

Between 2015/16 and 2019/20, South Africa recorded between 700 and a thousand child-murder victims per year, translating to a rate of about five murders per 100,000 children.

A Stats SA analysis revealed firearms, knives, and blunt instruments were the leading weapons used, and that most child murders occurred within the home or immediate community.

Free State provincial commissioner Lt. Gen. Thabang Lesia welcomed the cooperation of the farming community for not taking the law into their own hands, but instead informing police when the suspect resurfaced following the horrific incident.

Lesia applauded the police for their swift response in apprehending the suspect, stating that justice must prevail and that the family of the victims deserves closure.

OFM News/Zenande Mpame dg

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