The father of murder victim Thoriso Themane, who was murdered in Polokwane over the weekend, allegedly by a mob of teenagers, has said given the opportunity, he would apologise to his son "for bringing him into this vicious world".
In an interview with eNCA, Mahlapahlapana Themane described Thoriso, 27, as a generous man who always put others before himself and who would not want to see other people hurt. He was soft-hearted, he said.
"If he had something to give to others, he would always give. His mum reprimanded him for giving too much," Mahlapahlapana said of his son.
Five teenagers – one of them the son a retired police officer – are expected to appear in the Polokwane Magistrate's Court on Thursday following the brutal murder of Thoriso, whose bloody body was discovered in a street in Flora Park, Polokwane over the weekend.
The suspects were arrested on Tuesday afternoon. They are in Grades 9 and 10 and are facing a murder charge.
According to police, the alleged mob attack took place on Saturday evening and the 27-year-old succumbed to his injuries on Sunday. A video of Thoriso being carried by a group of people had been circulating on social media, with Twitter users claiming the suspects involved in the attack were pupils from Capricorn High School.
"To compound the ruthlessness of the attack on the man, not only are the suspects involved between the ages of 15 and 16 years old, but the incident was also filmed and posted on social media," the office of national police commissioner General Khehla Sitole said in a statement on Wednesday.
Described as generous
Mahlapahlapana said his son's generosity was one of his strongest attributes.
"He would say, 'Mama, there's someone at school who doesn't have food. Can we add food that I can give that fellow?' That's the kind of person he was."
Thoriso's father said he was experiencing "very painful emotions".
"It never crossed our minds that we would be speaking about him in the past tense."
According to Mahlapahlapana, Thoriso was at a music rehearsal with friends before the events that led to his death. The family had left the house door unlocked on the evening of Thoriso's death, so he could come in without having to wake them. When they found he hadn't come back the next morning, the family went to church and, on their return, realised that something was wrong.
"If he was running late, he would always call," Mahlapahlapana said.
The family contacted Thoriso's friends before approaching the police, finally finding his body at Polokwane Provincial Hospital.
Upon hearing the news that Thoriso had been killed, Mahlapahlapana said they were "shocked to the marrow".
"It's a pain you can't explain," Mahlapahlapana said.
#Thoriso Themane's father has described him as compassionate and loving.
— eNCA (@eNCA) February 27, 2019
The 28-year-old was killed allegedly by high school pupils in Polokwane, Limpopo. @LindokuhlXulu1 Full interview on our YouTube channel. #eNCA #DStv403 pic.twitter.com/T8cXQEHIEG