By Thapelo Molefe
The bail hearing of Walter Sisulu University (WSU) residence manager Manelisi Mampane, who is accused of murdering student Sisonke Mbolekwa during a campus protest last month, has been postponed once again to next week Tuesday.
Mampane faces charges of murder, attempted murder and the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, following a shooting incident that left Mbolekwa dead and three other students injured.
During the second day of the bail application at the Mthatha Magistrate’s Court, proceedings were adjourned due to a backlog of other bail hearings.
The presiding magistrate noted that the court was “inundated” and unable to proceed fully with Mampane’s matter.
The investigating officer, Colonel Mandla Miya, is yet to take the stand.
Outside court, the Mbolekwa family spokesperson, Phiwaba Madokwe, expressed dismay over Mampane’s testimony, calling it “misleading” and “infuriating”.
“There’s quite a number of things that left a bitter taste in our mouths,” said Madokwe.
“The first one being him refusing to actually say the so-called safe place, or safe house that he’s going to be accommodated in, which he says that the university has given to him, to a point that even the investigating officer does not know where the said safe house is, which therefore means that even if he [gets] bail, no one might be able to get hold of him because he does not have a disclosed address, particularly in terms of the safe house.”
Madokwe further criticised Mampane’s claim of ignorance regarding firearm regulations.
“He told the court he didn’t know how to handle a firearm, yet the state proved he previously applied for a firearm licence in a particular year and only failed the shooting test. That shows he was familiar with the basics and is misleading the court.”
Mampane insists that he acted in self defence and fired warning shots to disperse protesters.
The State has rejected this, presenting postmortem evidence confirming that Mbolekwa was shot in the back, with the bullet exiting through his abdomen.
Mampane had initially claimed that the protest was sparked by university policies on student cohabitation. However, under cross-examination, he reportedly conceded that students had submitted a list of grievances including complaints about poor residence conditions, such as unpartitioned shared toilets.
The Mbolekwa family remains adamant that Mampane should not be granted bail.
INSIDE EDUCATION
