PHUTI MOSOMANE
FIVE men have appeared in the Alice Magistrates Court on Tuesday for a number of charges, including murder and attempted murder of employees at the University of Fort Hare.
Three of the five suspects involved in the University of Fort Hare shootings had links with the institution.
Police said one worked with the fleet manager, the other is a former Student Representative Council (SRC) member, and another was brought back to work at the university after retiring.
One of the suspects allegedly ordered a hit on the University of Fort Hare’s fleet manager Petrus Roets last year.
Two of the accused are from KwaZulu-Natal.
Police top brass led by Minister Bheki Cele and National police commissioner, General Fannie Masemola visited Alice in the Eastern Cape following a breakthrough in the police investigations into cases of murder and attempted murder at the Fort Hare university.
The five men facing murder and attempted murder charges will remain in custody until the 4th of May for a formal bail application.
Fort Hare vice-chancellor Prof Buhlungu said he was pleased that President Cyril Ramaphosa prioritised the cases as he promised.
“I am pleased that today we are seeing breakthrough in this case. I think the President for sending police top brass as he promised. We will not rest until those who aided and abet corruption are brought to book,” he said on Tuesday.
On the 6th January, Buhlungu’s protector Mboneli Vesele was gunned down outside his official residence.
Since then, a high level national police task force and intervention teams were deployed to find his killers and also resolve the remaining murder cases linked to corruption in the varsity.
The team reported directly to the national police commissioner.
INSIDE EDUCATION
