University of Fort Hare (UFH) staff members are among 15 more suspects who appeared at the heavily guarded Dimbaza Magistrate’s Court in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday.
The suspects facing a string of charges including fraud, corruption, kidnapping, murder and attempted murder were remanded and expected back in court on Wednesday for formal bail application.
Police national top brass including Minister Bheki Cele, commissioner Fannie Masemola and UFH vice-chancellor Sakhela Buhlungu were among those who attended court proceedings.
The arrests were made by the national police task team in various provinces including Gauteng, the Eastern and Western Cape as well as KwaZulu-Natal over the Easter weekend.
The breakthrough has brought the overall number of suspects arrested in the case since last year to 25.
Many of the suspects believed to be linked to a fraud and tender corruption syndicate are former staff members of the university, former cops and students.
The violence and tragic incidents at UFH include the murder of Buhlungu’s personal protector Mboneli Vesele and fleet manager Petrus Roets.
Houses where some senior management reside were also shot at.
“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 those who are found to have had a hand in any wrongdoing. Our focus is to bring before court a case that will be able to stand in court with all the evidence that has been collected by the team,” said Masemola.
Cape Times