Cape Town - University of Fort Hare (UFH) vice-chancellor Professor Sakhela Buhlungu has given the national multi-disciplinary team deployed in the Eastern Cape to crack a spate of attacks on university staff, which have claimed two lives, until this week to announce arrests.
“This coming week will be a test. If the killers are not found and arrested we will be immensely disappointed. It will mean all of the engagements and promises made were not taken seriously,” said Buhlungu.
He was speaking at the funeral of his executive protector Mboneli Vesele on Saturday at UFH the Bisho Campus.
Vesele was killed in a hail of bullets on January 6 outside Buhlungu’s Alice residence.
The attack happened after the bodyguard had dropped off the vice-chancellor.
Last year UFH fleet manager Petrus Roets was killed in broad daylight and the houses of executive staff members including Buhlungu were shot at.
Police Minister Bheki Cele said the multi-disciplinary team has arrived in the province to investigate the incidents.
The team is expected to report directly to national police commissioner Fannie Masemola’s office.
Cele attended the funeral service along with minister in the presidency Mondli Gungubele, higher education minister Blade Nzimande and deputy minister of Human Settlements, Pam Tshwete.
“We will get answers regarding who committed the crimes and what were the motivations. As the government we cannot co-govern with criminals. I doubt that these were people who just randomly had hatred or sent by people who just randomly had hate. We are taking all these matters very seriously.
“We had a long and intense engagement with professor Buhlungu about the recent violent and fatal attacks that have taken place in and around the university.
All the cases have been taken from the provincial police and the national commissioner is now dealing with them. We are asking the family, UFH and the public to give us time to do our job,” Cele said.
A heartbroken Buhlungu said he was hoping the university and families get answers soon, saying Vesele and Roets’ murders had left deep wounds.
“It has been about nine months since Mr Roets was killed. Nothing was done about that, which is why these criminals had the confidence to strike again, now it’s Mr Vesele. The next coffin to come out of Fort Hare will be mine.
“Mr Vesele took a bullet for me, he was dedicated, a servant and a hard worker. Mr Gungubele and Cele we still want the meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa not that we are bypassing you or meeting him will be a substitute. We want to look at him in the face, shake his hand and just talk,” he said.
Buhlungu also urged that the matters are not politicised.
Vesele’s children and widow also paid tribute to a loving father, husband and a gentle giant.
Nzimande said he was hurt and touched by a family member who said they lost a brother and if his death meant there would be no more bloodshed in UFH then the family would be at peace.
“In other words, the family members were saying let him be the sacrificial lamb to prevent another death. This has touched me a lot and left lessons to be learnt,” he said.
“I want to assure the UFH and all our institutions that my Ministry and the entire Department of Higher Education and Training will continue to work with you and support all initiatives to fight the scourge of corruption, maladministration and gender-based violence and femicide,” he said.
Nzimande is expected to return at the university to meet again with council in the coming weeks to ensure a smooth start to the academic year.
Cape Times