Public barred from Thoriso Themane's murder trial

The public will not hear first-hand how Thoriso Themane died.

This comes after it was announced on Monday that the murder trial would take place behind closed doors.

“Due to the involvement of minor accused persons, the trial is to be heard in camera,” said National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Limpopo spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi.

The nine children and two adults implicated in Themane’s death appeared in the Limpopo High Court in Polokwane on Monday. Their case was postponed.

“The legal representatives of accused six and seven requested the state to furnish certain information,” said Malabi-Dzhangi, explaining the reason for the postponement.

The matter will return to court on July 6.

Themane, a 28-year-old man from Flora Park, was badly assaulted and left for dead in February 2019.

Two videos of the horrific assault were filmed, allegedly by the perpetrators of the crime, and then shared on social media.

In one of the videos, Themane's attackers are heard telling him that he would die. The musician later died in hospital.

A third video linked to the incident then surfaced, showing one of his alleged murderers - who was dressed in school uniform - saying it felt good to kill a person.

The pupil's dad is alleged to be a former cop.

"Yes, you know my father is untouchable," he boasted in the video to his schoolmates, before walking away.

These are among the exhibits expected to form part of the evidence in the trial.