Universities South Africa (USAf) has slated an assassination attempt on University of Fort Hare vice-chancellor Sakhela Buhlungu and the death of his aide.
Buhlungu's bodyguard, Mboneli Vesele, died in a hail of bullets outside his house on Friday night, as the vice-chancellor cleans up corruption at the university.
In a statement on Saturday USAf said: “The board of directors of Universities South Africa (USAf) expresses its shock at the murder of the University of Fort Hare (UFH) vice-chancellor’s security aide and driver, Mr Mboneli Vesele — in what the university has reported as an assassination attempt on UFH’s vice-chancellor and principal, Prof Sakhela Buhlungu, on Friday night.
“As vice-chancellors, we are deeply saddened by this particular development, which took place within the premises of a university campus. Reports which indicate that this might have been an attempt on the life of our colleague, Prof Buhlungu, are hugely shocking,” USAf’s chairperson, Prof Sibongile Muthwa, said.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the violence being meted out repeatedly on the senior management at Fort Hare, and at others in several of our campuses in recent years.
“Our hearts go out to Prof Buhlungu, his executive management team and the university community. Our condolences also go to the family, friends and colleagues of Mr Mboneli Vesele, whose life was taken in this manner, and to the family of the university’s former fleet and transport manager, Mr Petrus Roets who, in May, 2022, lost his life in circumstances believed to have been associated with his formal role at the University.”
Buhlungu in August initiated a move to get President Cyril Ramaphosa to sign a proclamation authorising an SIU probe into allegations of maladministration in the awarding of honours degrees and the mismanagement of funds at Fort Hare.
The SIU was also asked to investigate an individual who, for private gain, was sourcing public servants for study in various faculty programmes.
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University body slates assassination attempt on Fort Hare vice-chancellor and death of his aide
Image: Rod Bally
Universities South Africa (USAf) has slated an assassination attempt on University of Fort Hare vice-chancellor Sakhela Buhlungu and the death of his aide.
Buhlungu's bodyguard, Mboneli Vesele, died in a hail of bullets outside his house on Friday night, as the vice-chancellor cleans up corruption at the university.
In a statement on Saturday USAf said: “The board of directors of Universities South Africa (USAf) expresses its shock at the murder of the University of Fort Hare (UFH) vice-chancellor’s security aide and driver, Mr Mboneli Vesele — in what the university has reported as an assassination attempt on UFH’s vice-chancellor and principal, Prof Sakhela Buhlungu, on Friday night.
“As vice-chancellors, we are deeply saddened by this particular development, which took place within the premises of a university campus. Reports which indicate that this might have been an attempt on the life of our colleague, Prof Buhlungu, are hugely shocking,” USAf’s chairperson, Prof Sibongile Muthwa, said.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the violence being meted out repeatedly on the senior management at Fort Hare, and at others in several of our campuses in recent years.
“Our hearts go out to Prof Buhlungu, his executive management team and the university community. Our condolences also go to the family, friends and colleagues of Mr Mboneli Vesele, whose life was taken in this manner, and to the family of the university’s former fleet and transport manager, Mr Petrus Roets who, in May, 2022, lost his life in circumstances believed to have been associated with his formal role at the University.”
Buhlungu in August initiated a move to get President Cyril Ramaphosa to sign a proclamation authorising an SIU probe into allegations of maladministration in the awarding of honours degrees and the mismanagement of funds at Fort Hare.
The SIU was also asked to investigate an individual who, for private gain, was sourcing public servants for study in various faculty programmes.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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