15 more suspects arrested in connection with Fort Hare killings

Fifteen more suspects have been arrested in connection with two murders at the University of Fort Hare and the attempted murder of its vice-chancellor Prof Sakhele Buhlungu and deputy vice-chancellor Renuka Vithal, police said.

The university’s fleet manager Petrus Roets and Buhlungu's bodyguard Richard Vesele were gunned down in separate attacks last year.

National police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said the latest arrests bring the number of people arrested to 25.

The suspects face a string of charges ranging from fraud, corruption and kidnapping to murder and attempted murder. They were arrested by a police national task team assigned to investigate the murders and attempted murders.

“The 15 suspects were arrested in various provinces over the Easter weekend including, Gauteng, the Eastern and Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal,” Mathe said.

The 15 suspects are expected to appear in the Dimbaza magistrate’s court in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday.

National police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola said the task team would “continue to work without fear or favour”.

“The team has been hard at work in getting to the bottom of who is behind fraud, corruption and the murders at the university. They will continue to investigate and hunt down those who are found to have had a hand in any wrongdoing,” he said.

Masemola and police minister Bheki Cele are expected to attend Tuesday's court proceedings. 

TimesLIVE