Africa-Press – South-Africa. Five people will appear in the Alice Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday after a breakthrough in the investigation into the murders of the University of Fort Hare’s fleet manager and the vice-chancellor’s bodyguard.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the five would also face three attempted murder charges, as well as fraud and corruption charges.
Minister Bheki Cele and national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola are expected to brief Vice-Chancellor Sakhela Buhlungu in person before attending court proceedings.
Buhlungu’s bodyguard of five years, Mboneli Vesele, was killed on 6 January when gunfire raked the vice-chancellor’s vehicle at his residence in Alice in January. Buhlungu was not in the vehicle, and was unharmed, but had to be taken to a safe house.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana said at the time that Buhlungu had just arrived at his home when gunmen opened fire from another vehicle, hitting Vesele, who died at the scene.
On 19 May last year, Fort Hare fleet manager Peet Roets was also shot dead near his home in Gonubie while on his way home from the Alice campus.
At the time, Roets’ murder was thought to be linked to a clampdown on corruption within the university’s fleet network.
Three other shootings last year at the homes of Buhlungu, Professor Renuka Vithal, and the manager of Buhlungu’s office, Zuki Mabombo, were also being investigated.
Last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa authorised the Special Investigating Unit to probe allegations of corruption and serious maladministration at the university since 2012, focusing on four contracts and the awarding of honours degrees.
The contracts involved “cleaning and gardening services, the leasing of student accommodation, the appointment of a service provider for the maintenance and repair of air conditioning systems, and collusion between officials of the university and service providers, in which such officials held direct or indirect interests”.
During all of the recent upheavals, the university’s deputy vice-chancellor for institutional support, Dr Oscar van Heerden, resigned during a period of suspension for alleged misconduct, citing concerns over his personal safety.
He had moved from Stellenbosch University to work with Buhlungu.
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