Trio Accused of Killing Fort Hare Employees Denied Bail, Court Worried They Might Eliminate State Witnesses

• Three men in the middle of the Fort Hare University employees murders have been denied bail
• The magistrate decided to keep them behind bars because it is believed that they might try to eliminate state witnesses
• The Dimbaza Magistrate's Court heard that a hit list for the lives of several Fort Hare University employees was found in an abandoned car

ALICE - Three men accused of murdering two Fort Hare University employees have been denied bail by the Dimbaza Magistrate's Court on Monday, 12 June.

The accused appeared in court hoping to get a taste of freedom, but the Dimbaza magistrate dashed their dreams.

Magistrate says trio accused of Fort Hare killings will tamper with witnesses

The Dimbaza magistrate, Mhlanga Bala, denied the accused, Sicelo Mbulawa, Mthobisi Khanyile and Mthobisi Dlamini, bail because there was a fear they would tamper with state witnesses and eliminate them.

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According to News24, the magistrate also said they would delay court proceedings if granted bail.

The trio was arrested alongside Bongani Peter and Wanini Khuza for the murders of Petrus Roets and Mboneli Vesele. Vesele was the Fort Hare University vice-chancellor Sakhela Buhlungu's bodyguard.

Peter and Khuza chose not to apply for bail.

Hitmen hired to murder Fort Hare University employees

According to IOL, hitmen shot at Buhlungu's car and killed his bodyguard in January. It is alleged that there was an R5 million hit on the vice-chancellor's life.

During the investigation, police found a hit list in an abandoned car that showed a R3 million hit for Buhlungu’s deputy, Professor Renuka Vithal. Roets' killers were reportedly paid R350 000 for his murder.

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According to EWN, the hits were believed to be ordered by Fort Hare University employee Peter, the chief transport officer, alongside Khuza and Mbulawa.

12 University of Fort Hare students arrested for destruction of property after sports centre was set on fire

In other news, Briefly News previously reported that the police have confirmed that 12 Fort Hare University students have been arrested for allegedly setting a building on fire and for the destruction of property.

The students are said to have been between 19 and 22 and are set to appear at the Alice Magistrates Court on Tuesday, 6 June.

According to The Citizen, a group of unhappy students looted a cafeteria and destroyed several buildings, including shattering the windows of a computer lab at the Alice campus on Sunday night. It is believed that the students were upset over the exam timetable.

Source: Briefly News