SLAIN student Nosicelo Mtebeni was remembered at a memorial service at the University of Fort Hare in East London.
Mtebeni was murdered and her mutilated body parts discovered in a suitcase and a plastic bag last Thursday morning on the corner of Fitzpatrick and Fleet streets in Quigney, East London.
Her head and hands were found hidden in a cupboard in a nearby house.
The shocking crime has again brought gender-based violence concerns to the fore, with many from the area calling for the death penalty to be reinstated as a deterrent.
Fort Hare students believe the murder of Mtebeni is related to National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding issues.
They say they have not received accommodation allowances since March.
This is forcing many of them out of privately-owned student housing.
But the university says Mtebeni had received all funding, and it’s also helping other students.
The University of Fort Hare management has, however, condemned in the strongest possible manner the spread of alleged misinformation on social media networks following claims that Mtebeni became destitute and was forced into pursuing an unwanted living arrangement with her murderer are of a fictitious nature and untrue
“In the interest of a well-informed public sphere and based on the seriousness of the allegations levelled against of the institution and its senior management, the university is compelled to respond to these misleading allegations, release further information over student deaths and inform constituents of the UFH’s planned and intended course of action,” the university said in a statement.
“The UFH Student Fees and Financial Aid Office has confirmed that NSFAS payments to Ms. Mtebeni were duly made and not outstanding in any way.. The UFH also wishes to emphasise that the decision of the deceased for a living arrangement with her former partner dates back to 2020, based on information supplied to the university.”
- Inside Education
