Orange Farm youth accused of killing 3-year-old brother has history of schizophrenia

ORANGE FARM - An 18-year-old from Orange Farm, accused of murdering his three-year-old brother, has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Ikemetse Tsheole appeared at the Vereeniging Magistrates Court on Thursday, where his attorney, Lucky Sundani, revealed that he had been diagnosed with the disorder in 2021. The incident, which shocked both the Orange Farm and Vaal Triangle communities, saw Tsheole allegedly poisoning his brother, Abraham, with rat poison in January, with the child’s body later discovered in a dustbin by a sibling. The court heard that Tsheole had displayed symptoms such as social withdrawal, disorganized behavior, and aggressive tendencies. His legal team has abandoned his bail application while he undergoes psychiatric evaluation at a state facility to determine if he is fit to stand trial. Prosecutor Taku Chabalala stated that the evaluation will help establish whether Tsheole had criminal capacity at the time of the offense. The case has been postponed to March 13 for feedback on his mental assessment.