South Africans remain outraged by the death of musician and student Thoriso Themani (pictured as a child, above) last month, with the 27-year-old attacked and murdered in a park just a few kilometres from his home.
Sadly, in a country with a murder rate that is sometimes compared to a war zone, that in itself is not really news, but it’s the age of the alleged killers that has seen the country take notice.
A video which did the rounds last week showed Themani, bloodied and bruised on the ground, surrounded by teenagers, and now six members of the so-called “maDhura squad” have been taken into police custody.
TimesLIVE did some digging, so let’s start with the basics:
“Dhura”, which translates to “expensive” in English, is known for wearing expensive clothing brands, including adidas, Fila and Nike. They gather at Flora Park at the weekends, flashing cash and drinking expensive alcohol.
This is part of their lifestyle, according to a Capricorn High School pupil, who spoke to Times Select on condition of anonymity…
The pupil, who is a friend of the alleged gang members, said she learnt of Themane’s beating after gang members posted videos and pictures of the incident on their statuses. The pictures, showing a clenched fist, were captioned “ma Dhura squaD911, salute, respect”…
Another video, allegedly of a teenage suspect, in school uniform, admitting to have been involved in the assault, has also emerged. In the video the pupil says he is untouchable because his father is a cop. The pupil who recorded the video has since received a death threat and his family fears for their safety…
One of the gang members captioned the video on WhatsApp with “Dhura squaD911 via West Side 647 bratxaq salute”.
Themane’s father says the family has chosen not to watch these videos, saying that will “derail the process of healing”.
TimesLIVE also put together this video, which takes a closer look at the attack, as well as the public outcry following Themane’s death:
I have a feeling that this “maDhura squad” would last about 15 minutes in one of the Cape’s gang-affected areas, before they went running home to their well-connected parents.
Sadly, that won’t bring Thoriso Themani back, and these youngsters must be made to pay.
[source:timeslive]
