Cele sets up team to probe Fort Hare attacks

Cele held talks with the university’s management on Wednesday following a spate of violent and fatal attacks in and around the institution.

Vice chancellor Sakhela Buhlungu’s bodyguard Mboneni Vesele died last week in an attack believed to have been targeted at the university principle.

During the visit Cele announced the establishment a multi-disciplinary team to investigate the pattern of threats on the lives of the staff members of the institution.

"It is quite clear that the local police are just not working fast enough in making arrests and this newly establishednNational team through its work, must send a strong message to criminals that this government will not be threatened or shaken and will certainly not back down or co-govern with criminals,” Cele said.

The multi-disciplinary team will include detectives, forensic analysts, crime intelligence, and the Hawks.

“As we start the academic year, we can’t afford to have anyone, be it a student a lecturer and even a groundsman or cleaner of this institution feel uneasy about their safety. This is why the team must work closely with University staff and the intelligence community to crack the cases that will see the culprits go to jail. This, I am sure will guarantee that this respected institution is not turned into a killing field," added Cele.

The team will report directly to the office of National Commissioner Fannie Masemola.

It is set to probe Vesele’s death, as well as attempted hits on university staff, including the murder of Fort Hare University fleet manager Petrus Roets, who was fatally shot in March.

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