The mother of a young man who was brutally killed in Dopeni on 27 November 2022 said she was relieved that the trial of her son's alleged killers would start in the Sibasa Regional Court next Monday.

Speaking to Limpopo Mirror on Tuesday morning, Ms Tshililo Ralinala said she had waited nearly two years to see her son's alleged killers face justice. “I have been living in terrible pain, seeing the two suspects moving around the village while my son is gone forever. I know justice takes time sometimes, but I pray day and night that my son’s killers face the full might of the law,” she said.

Her late son, Murendeni Ralinala (21), was a part-time photographer and the breadwinner at home.

It is alleged that the two suspects had cornered Ralinala and his friend on their way home on the evening of the incident, demanding money and cell phones. When the suspects produced knives, Ralinala’s friend ran for his life, while the suspects caught Ralinala and stabbed him several times before fleeing without taking anything. Ralinala died at the scene.

Tsepho Munarini, who was 22 at the time of the incident, was arrested the day after, while Andani Munzha, who was 18, was apprehended six days later.