A tale of 3-years of going in and out of court has finally come to an end, as four teens were sentenced to 10-years imprisonment for the brutal murder of Thoriso Themane.

The 23-year-old Themane was attacked by a group of teenagers in the Polokwane surburb of Fauna Park on 23 February 2019. He succumbed to his injuries in hospital the following day. The attack was captured on video, which went viral and sparked protest action in Polokwane at the time.

The trial, before Deputy Judge President Violet Semenya, was held behind closed doors because there were minors involved. The sentencing of the four teens was postponed and later resumed this week as all the accused have turned 18, and were found guilty of murder.

The probation officer, Malesela William Raphela, took the stand on Monday and told Deputy Judge President Violet Semenya that the offence committed was serious and may require a harsh sentence to deter the repetition of the crime by other teenagers. Accused 1, 3,4 and 5 child offenders both got 10 years sentence and 3 and 2 years of the sentence will be spent at the juvenile centres.