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SHOT DEAD: Corrie Sanders Photo: Getty images

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Hundreds of friends and relatives of former world heavyweight boxing champion Corrie Sanders filled the Wonderpark NG church in Pretoria North for his funeral this morning.

Slides of Sanders were projected onto a wall with Josh Groban's song 'You Raise Me Up' playing in the background.

His mother Alida and brother Mike, along with other family members, were visibly emotional as proceedings started.

Chris Gericke would conduct the service.

Sanders won the World Boxing Organisation’s heavyweight title in March 2003 by dropping Ukrainian Wladimir Klitsckho in the second round in Hanover, Germany. He retired five years later.

He was at the Thatch Haven Country Lodge, in Brits, on September 22 when armed robbers entered and began firing shots at random. Sanders was hit in the hand and stomach and died in the Kalafong hospital the next day.

Earlier on Monday, the three men accused of murdering Sanders appeared in the Brits Magistrate’s Court.

Paida Fish, 19, Samuel Mabena, 27, and Chris Moyo, 25, each face one count of murder and three charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances.

The matter was postponed to October 8 for further investigation.

The men will remain in custody.

Mabena also appeared in court on Monday in connection with the murder of farmer Mauritz Oberholzer near Brits on September 5. This matter was postponed until Tuesday.

The three were arrested in the Oukasie informal settlement, near Brits, on Thursday after police received a tip-off, police spokesman Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said last week.

At the address where the men were arrested, police recovered a cellphone, vehicle key, purse, handbag, and cash believed to have been stolen during the robbery in which Sanders was shot.

“Police then went to a second address and a third suspect was arrested,” Ngubane said.

The three men are Zimbabweans.

Outside court, members of the Oukasie SA National Civic Organisation protested.

“Our Constitution is failing us because criminals go free,” Michael Mhlongo said.

“They have taken our champion. We are sending our condolences to the Sanders family.” 

He said the Home Affairs department had failed by letting foreigners into the country as they had no legal documents and therefore could not be traced if they committed crimes.

One man held up a poster which read: “They took Lucky Dube now it’s Corrie Sanders. Enough is enough with illegal foreigners. No bail”.

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Mon May 20 17:36:25 SAST 2013 ::

Oct 1, 2012

Honeybadger

'The three men are Zimbabweans'

I rest my case.
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Oct 1, 2012

DjEp

Even if they were Nigerians, they had no right to walk to any place and start shooting at anyone. I wish our justice system was as good as the Chinesse, plug them against the wall, put a bullet in their brains.
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Oct 1, 2012

Warren

This is just the tip of the iceberg. The real effects of this undocumented Zimbos will be felt in this country for decades to come. The number of South Africans who are killed,robbed and raped by this ungrateful and spiteful Zimbos is staggering.
In Venda alone,21 aged grannies were raped by the same Zimbo. They would never have been raped if somebody did not decide that,because she and her family have 24/7 body guards, millions of undocumented Zimbos are welcome to roam the streets of S.A. day and night.
This deaths and persecution of locals is the real lagacy of our Home Affairs department and those that were supposed to be enforcing our immigration laws. You will not find anything like this anywhere else in the world.
The murders and robberies,including farm murders and farm robberies have an even more undesirable potential of racial conflict as seen in many right wing rethoric.
After so many deaths,rapes and robberies of South Africans by this undocumented Zimbos and others, What else must first happen for this issue to be taken seriously?
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Oct 1, 2012

Warren

It is a fact that we were let down by our government,this is not referring to the current government but to our post a.partheid government right from Madiba's tenure. All that mattered to them was to secure the well being of their own families and then to please their former African hosts by opening up the rest of the country to all without any foresight or control systems put in place.
To host our fellow Africans was the
Millions of our people lost their jobs to this foreigners,small business people like spaza,painters,street corner mechanics,street vendors and others had to make way for this influx of illegal foreigners without any preotection fom their own government.
Now its deaths,robberies and rapes at the hands of the same foreigners.
Great work from our law enforcement guys but this should have been foreseen before it even becomes work for the law enforcement people.
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Oct 1, 2012

Honeybadger

when we deal with them township style we are accused of xenophobic and babarianism. I have had my fair share of crime perpetrated by Zimbos; now i shoot first and ask questions later. A few weeks ago on an outing one broke into one of our chalets. He was unfortunate that we caught him while trying to steal. The hiding he got he will not be forgetting soon as we left a few permanent scars on his body too. I will do it again tomorrow if need be.
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Oct 1, 2012

Warren

Above fifth line should have read:
To host our fellow Africans and other refugees was the right thing to do, but, to open up the country's borders to millions of unidentified and untracable foreigners without first ensuring the safety of our citizens and stability of the country, was very reckless and creating unnecessary pressure on our economy and law enforcement .It is that recklessness that took the lives of citizens like Lucky Dube and Corrie Sanders. Nothing else. People must admit that they got carried away and sold out our country and people in the process.
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Oct 1, 2012

Warren

@Honeybadger
The country has become a far more dangerous place for its citizens because of this undocumented and false documented people. Especially given the fact that they are mostly very spiteful and murderous in their approach to locals,black or white.
If you were seen dealing with the criminal,there would have been photos of the beat up Zimbo splashed across the whole world with cries of xenophobia in S.A. A few politicians would have even made a statement about the incident to score points internationally but, if its their own citizens dying at the hands of foreigners,you hear nothing from them calling the foreigners to order.
They are the ones that allowed them into the country but we citizens are the ones that directly bear the brunt of their presence here. We need refugee centres along the borders asap. Then the clean up of the whole mess must begin and only properly documented refugess can remain before many more South Africans perish.
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Oct 1, 2012

WarrenG

R.I.P. Corrie a true South African hero and legend.

If these are the guys who did it, I hope they go to jail and get gang raped
till they bleed and contract AIDS, Syphillis, and Gonhorroea.
They deserve nothing less.
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Oct 1, 2012

Honeybadger

Zimbabweans are very angry with SAns. they hate us so much. However i am happy with the few i have shot before during a house robbery and the attempted rape of my sister in law.
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Oct 1, 2012

Tasto

Was LuckyDube killed by foreigners? Honest question, didn't follow the case to its conclusion !!
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