BLOEMFONTEIN – The funeral of the slain Lekone twins, Kegomodicoe and Keabecoe, both 52 years old, is set for Sunday, 1 November, in Heidedal, as officially announced by the family. A memorial service was held on Tuesday at their popular Ekhayeni Pub and Grill in Bochabela, where family and friends honoured their lives

The grief-stricken family has since asked for continued respect for their privacy during this time of bereavement. The twins are remembered fondly for their contribution to entertainment in the township through their upper-class lifestyle venue.

At their memorial service, speakers praised the enterprise skills of the Lekone twins, highlighting the specific business acumen and execution skills that saw them build a thriving local brand and create much-needed employment.

Police in the province are yet to make arrest in connection with their brutal murder and are continuing their investigations. The Free State police’s forensic experts have recovered several spent cartridge cases from the scene where the Lekone twins were gunned down on 21 October. These form part of the critical evidence in the investigation of the double murder that has gripped the Free State capital.

Preliminary evidence revealed that the twin brothers were shot execution-style at the gate as they entered the premises in their charcoal-coloured Ford Ranger. They were ambushed at one of the business premises situated on the corner of Mkhuhlane Road and Morakile Street in Bochabela.

The pair established themselves in business, running the well-known Ekhayeni Pub and Grill in Bochabela.

One of the bystanders, believed to have been among the first at the scene, shared a video showing them dead in a high-end black bakkie. The front of their vehicle was extensively damaged. The news went viral on social media. The circumstances surrounding their fatal shooting and the motive remain unclear.

Lt Col Thabo Covane, provincial spokesperson for the police, said the Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes, Murder and Robbery unit has launched a manhunt for unknown armed suspects in connection with the brazen shooting of the identical twins. He said two murder cases were opened at the Mangaung Police Station for investigation.

Covane said a witness who was inside the double-storey property reported that he noticed an African male running towards a white hatchback vehicle following the shooting. He said the witness reported that he was alone and at the upper section of the building at the time of the shooting.

“He alleges that he rushed outside to establish where the sound of the shots came from, when he noticed an African male running towards a white Chevrolet Aveo hatchback.

“He did not see whether the male had an object in his hands as the vehicle sped off,” said Covane. He said there were possibly two other occupants already inside the vehicle, according to the witness.

Covane said that at about 08:51, a complaint was received from radio control.

The Lekone twins, who had ties to tenderpreneurs, were among ten people convicted and sentenced for defrauding the Mangaung Municipality of approximately R130 million in 2012. They were sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment each. The fraud happened before the municipality was upgraded to metro status.
The identical twins were previously acquitted of the high-profile 2008 murder of Lehlohonolo Seqhee, who was the bodyguard of the then Free State MEC for Police, Roads and Transport, Seiso Mohai.