Mpumalanga police have arrested seven people suspected of killing two men near Piet Retief in August.
The seven are accused of beating to death Sifiso Thwala and Musa Nene.
The pair had a tyre puncture near a farm and they were attacked and killed.
The families of the two deceased hope that justice will finally be served.
Three of the seven suspects were arrested for the murder of the Coka brothers.
Video: Five men accused of killing Coka brothers granted R10 000 bail each
The arrest of the suspects brought hope to the families of the two deceased. The Thwala and Nene families from Driefontein had been waiting for justice of their brothers.
Thwala’s sister, Nomalanga Thwala, says the arrest has brought hope that there will be justice for the two deceased. She says there have many unanswered questions regarding the murder of their loved one.
“We are feeling a bit of relief now that the arrest has taken place. Although it was mixed emotions because it took us back to the moment when we heard the news,” says Thwala.
Thwala says she is hopeful that justice will prevail.
“It has been a journey, a long one but now there is a bit of hope that justice will prevail finally.”
Hope for the community
The leader of Farm Dwellers Association in the Gert Sibande region, Bongani Hlatshwayo, says the latest arrest has brought hope to the community.
He says the community will be following the case with keen interest.
“In this case, they are three that were arrested last month in April in the case of the Coka family so now we are so happy even people in the farm are starting to sleep very well.”
Mpumalanga Police Spokesperson, Leonard Hlathi, says the seven suspects are facing murder, attempted murder and kidnapping charges.
“They were accosted in the car, severely beaten, two died, one was severely injured was hospitalized; now he is fine. And we arrested five suspects then and the prosecution redirected to continue with the investigation we have done that, hence the arrest of the seven, [we are] looking for one, we are optimistic that he will be found.”
The accused are expected to appear in the Piet Retief Magistrate Court on Monday.
