One of the boys who was allegedly involved in the brutal and fatal assault of Thoriso Themane took the stand in the high court in Limpopo to testify against his accomplices on Monday.

The 16-year-old, who has turned state witness, has given damning evidence about how he and other accused beat the 28-year-old man to a pulp in 2019.

The National Prosecuting Authority’s Mashudu Malabi Dzhangi said the witness told the court that he had in turn been beaten by Themane.

Malabi-Dzhangi said the witness told the court: “I also beat him with an open hand then the rest [of the minor accused] joined to assault him until he ran to the house which belongs to the adult [accused in the matter]. We — the group of minor accused-  followed the deceased and continue to beat him.”

The trial continues on Tuesday when the two defence lawyers of the accused are expected to cross-examine the witness.

Eight people, including six minor children, were charged for Themane’s murder.

Three of the minors have since turned 18.

Themane was assaulted and dragged through the streets of Flora Park in Polokwane in February 2019, allegedly by the group of high school pupils. His brutal assault was caught on video. He was left for dead and later succumbed to his injuries in hospital. At least two videos of the horrific assault were filmed, allegedly by the perpetrators of the crime, and then shared on social media.

In one of the videos, Themane's attackers are heard telling him that he would die.

A third video linked to the incident then surfaced, showing one of his alleged attackers — who was dressed in school uniform — saying it felt good to kill a person.

The pupil's dad is alleged to be a former policeman.

“Yes, you know my father is untouchable,” he boasted in the video to his schoolmates, before walking away.

The videos are among the exhibits expected to form part of the evidence in the trial.

The accused children were released under parental care while the two adults are out on bail.

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