Former KZN resident Reuben Marsberg, 22, was murdered after relocating to Limpopo for work late last year.
Image: Supplied
The family of 22-year-old Reuben “Ruby” Marsberg, from Howick, KwaZulu-Natal is making an urgent appeal for the court to deny bail to the man accused of his murder.
Gerhard Duncan Koekemoer is scheduled to apply for bail in a Limpopo court tomorrow, April 22. The hearing was originally set for April 30 but was moved forward. The Marsberg family has spent the last 24 hours gathering hundreds of letters of opposition from the Howick community to submit to the state prosecutor.
Reuben’s mother, Virginia Marsberg, confirmed that the family has received an overwhelming response via email and WhatsApp. These responses have been handed over to the new investigating officer on the case to bolster the State's opposition to the accused’s release.
Reuben, a diesel mechanic, went missing on November 26, 2022, after relocating to Levubu, Limpopo, for work. His white Toyota Land Cruiser was found stripped and abandoned in the bush three days later. Following an intensive search, his remains were discovered on December 12, 2022.
Koekemoer was subsequently arrested and allegedly admitted to the killing, though the family has expressed ongoing frustration over the lack of clarity regarding the exact circumstances of his death.
In a formal letter to the court, the victim's sister, Vannessa Marsberg, described the impact her brother’s death has had on their household. She noted that since their father passed away two years ago, Reuben had taken on the role of primary provider and leader of the family.
“He was a young boy forced to grow up too fast,” she wrote. “Instead of planning his own future, my brother stayed to make sure there was still a roof over our family’s head and food on our table.”
According to Virginia Marsberg, several of Reuben's possessions remain missing, and the family believes the accused did not act alone.
"We just want to know the truth on why they did what they did and who else was involved," the family stated.
For more stories from The Mercury, click the link THE MERCURY