The father of a grade two learner who was murdered in Copesville in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. believes his son’s murder was an act of revenge.
William Rutambo, the father of Linathi Mkhize, says he previously argued with the suspect over an amount of R150 he owed.
It is alleged that Linathi went missing on Thursday, July 4.
The suspect was later seen going into his shack with Linathi, whose lifeless body was discovered with multiple stab wounds in the suspect’s shack on Friday night.
Rutambo now blames himself for the incident.
“I blame myself for my son’s death. I had an altercation with the suspect. As my friend, I had been helping him with peace jobs. Although we were not getting much (money), the little we were getting was fine,” he said.
Meanwhile, the boy’s mother Nontobeko Mkhize narrated how the suspect lured the young boy.
“My son went to the nearest shop to buy chips. He was seen with the suspect at the shop after giving him R8 to play machines. The community saw my child going with the suspect to his shack. We later found him dead in the suspect’s shack. He had stab wounds on his body,” she says.
She added justice has to prevail in her son’s murder.
“What is painful is that he (suspect) is moving around and he hasn’t been arrested even now. The suspect was out on parole but now he has killed my son. And I can’t explain the pain I am going through. My child couldn’t protect himself. We want to see justice and we can’t live with such criminals because we don’t know what he is planning as he is out on parole,” she says.
Police have meanwhile launched a manhunt for the suspect.
