WATCH | 'Friends will be there for Thapelo': Pretoria student's murder accused return to court

The two men accused of killing postgraduate student Thapelo Menwe will make their second appearance in the Pretoria magistrate's court on Thursday.

Menwe was shot dead outside his residence in Hatfield during a robbery in the early hours of September 10.  

Bongani Sibiya, 38, and William Seema Makgoba, 33, were arrested shortly after the fatal robbery which was caught on CCTV outside Menwe's Tuksdorp accommodation.

Menwe's friend Orebotse Lekone attended their first court appearance on September 12.

“People were emotional, people were teary. Some people were so angry to see those people appear in front of them,” said Lekone.

Lekone's signature is one of 29,000 on a petition called #JusticeForThapelo calling for no bail for the accused.

“A lot of students went there to support Thapelo and wanted justice for him. We also wanted to make sure the accused wouldn't be granted bail,” said Lekone.

No photographs were allowed to be taken of the accused, who wore face masks during their first court appearance as an identity parade is still pending. The bail hearing was postponed to Thursday.

A tragic end

Lekone was with Menwe just minutes before his murder while they played pool in Hatfield on September 9.

“We were grooving together, having a good time and when we left, I went my way and he went his way back to his res, like we always do. That's the last time I saw him.”

Menwe walked the 200m back to his residence when a man holding a gun approached him from behind. CCTV footage captured the moment as Menwe was pulled around to face the killer. They interacted for a brief moment before the killer stepped back and shot Menwe in the torso.

Menwe dropped to the ground and the killer rifled through his pockets, stealing his cellphone before running off. Menwe died minutes later.

Days later, during an emotional memorial outside Tuksdorp, students demanded more security patrols and better safety in the area. But Lekone believes justice is more important than shifting the blame.

“I studied at Pretoria since 2019 and there has never been anything like this. Hatfield has been safe, we knew that there is security patrolling 24/7. You could walk at night casually and you can go to the library and walk back late at night with no problem,” he said.

“This thing just happened randomly — it came from nowhere.

“Personally, I feel there is no point in blaming the university or the security.

“I want to see justice for my friend, that is the most important thing for me. Justice would be that the accused don't get bail on Thursday.”

Menwe, 23, was doing postgraduate studies in internal auditing when he was gunned down.

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