A HEINZ Park mom has been left traumatised after hearing the gory details of how her son was placed in a vullisdrom and set alight.
Nearly a year after the horrific murder of Randall Robain his killer has finally been nabbed and made his first appearance in Athlone Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
His hartseer mother, Magdalene, 62, says after waiting for answers for many months she has been left traumatised.
She explains her youngest son first went missing in January 2024 when he left him home to find work on the Philippi farmlands.
The mom says: “He went along with his brother and they met farm workers who told them there was work available and he stayed there.
“His brother came home and went the next day, but came home crying saying Randall was stabbed to death and set alight.
“We were told that this suspect is a skollie from Manenberg and made him undress to see if my son had [gang] tjappies. When he didn’t have any, he was stabbed.”
She explains at the time of the murder she was informed by police that her son had been doused with paint thinners, placed in a vullisdrom and set alight.
Randall was buried a few weeks later after his parents completed DNA tests.
Magdalene says she received a skrik this week when she was informed by police that after months of search, suspect Moeneeb Vardiem had been caught and charged for the murder.
She adds: “I was told that he is from Manenberg but had a girlfriend on the farm who he attacked.
“She opened a case against him and he fled to live with his other girlfriend in Manenberg and was finally caught.”
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk confirms the arrest and says: “Be advised that the body was found on 28 January 2024 at a farm in Vlei Road, Philippi.
“A 25-year-old suspect was arrested on Monday 13 January 2025 for the mentioned charge”.
According to court document, Vardiem made his first appearance in court on Wednesday and has subsequently been sent to the mang.
He is set to return to court on 22 January for his bail information hearing.
But the hartseer mother says she is working on a petition to oppose his release on bail.
She says: “He ran away and for almost a year they never caught him. We want to oppose bail because he killed my child in a horrible way.
“In court he kept looking at us but we mos don’t know him. I am traumatised after hearing the horrible way my child died.”