State drops charges against suspect in Likhona Fose murder case
Charges have been withdrawn against the man arrested for the murder of Gauteng teenager Likhona Fose.
Mduduzi Mnisi was granted R5,000 bail earlier this month after he was arrested just days after the teenager's mutilated body was discovered in an open veld in Durban Deep, west of Johannesburg.
During his bail application, it emerged that Mnisi is out on parole in December 2018 after he was sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment for attempted murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
He served nine years in prison.
After opting to give viva voce evidence, Mnisi took to the stand and told the court he was nowhere near the tavern where he was allegedly last seen with the teenager, and brought his girlfriend as a witness to corroborate his claim.
READ: Likhona Fose’s alleged killer granted R5,000 bail
On Wednesday, the National Prosecuting Authority confirmed it had withdrawn charges against the accused, following the emergence of information that suggests that he was not the last person to be seen with the deceased.
"Mnisi raised an alibi that he didn’t know the deceased and that his phone records would prove that he was in Daveyton on 31 May 2025, the day Fose went missing. After Mnisi’s bail hearing, the NPA instructed the Investigating Officer to probe his alibi, and indeed his phone was linked to a tower in Daveyton.
"Furthermore, there were more statements obtained from other witnesses that confirmed that Mnisi could not have been the last person to be seen with the deceased. The decision to withdraw charges is therefore fair and responsible under these circumstances," said NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane.
The NPA has pleaded with the community to work with authorities in their efforts to find justice for Fose and her family.
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