Pretoria - The family of a man who was murdered earlier this week has been left shocked by the brutal manner in which he was killed.
Thabo Maswetsa, 33, was murdered on Tuesday after he was accused of being behind the kidnapping of a 47-year-old Hammanskraal woman.
Maswetsa was also accused of allegedly raping the woman while demanding a ransom of R4 000 from her family to set her free.
Speaking to the Pretoria News after identifying his body at Ga-Rankuwa Government Mortuary, his grandmother Mariah Maswetsa said she was heartbroken to see her grandson’s body riddled with wounds from the assault.
“We are hurt, especially because our son was killed like a dog in the street,” said Maswetsa. “The police told us they received a complaint of someone being assaulted by a mob on Tuesday in Soshanguve. They said they don’t know who was behind his murder or why he was murdered,” she said.
The murdered woman’s son and three others were arrested on Tuesday for Masetwa's killing but were not charged; the charges against them were provisionally withdrawn on Thursday due to a lack of evidence and witnesses.
Maswetsa’s body was found on the business premises of the son.
“Police said someone called him that morning and said they had a job for him and he agreed to meet the man because he was unemployed and did odd jobs to make ends meet,” said the grieving grandmother.
The victim’s son said they had set a trap for the man who they suspected of being behind the crimes.
He said he contacted the suspect by calling the phone he was using during negotiations for a ransom. The son said they were able to track the man and arranged to meet him in Soshanguve.
However, he claimed Maswetsa ran away when he saw them which led to residents in the area tackling him and assaulting him.
The son then claimed to have rescued Maswetsa from the angry crowd and asking him to his business premises where police were already waiting to complete an identikit of the suspect who allegedly kidnapped his mother.
But Maswetsa said: “I don’t believe my grandson could have done anything like that. He was a decent man. And if he did, and I am not saying he did, he didn’t deserve to die the way he did. The law should have decided if he was guilty or not, not just anybody,” she said.
The grandmother said Maswetsa left behind two daughters aged two and 10.
“We don’t know how we are going to bury him because we don’t have money. We would like to make a plea to anyone who can help us with any donations. We would appreciate that,” she added.
Pretoria News Weekend