University of Fort Hare employee found tied up and gagged

The apparent intimidation of some University of Fort Hare staffers seems to be continuing unabated.

A university employee was on Wednesday found in his flat with his hands tied and mouth gagged.

Attempted murder

Police have since opened a case of attempted murder.

The 32-year-old’s colleagues found him tied and gagged at his home after they noticed he was not at work.

“The victim was only noticed by his colleagues after he did not report at work. They then went to investigate in his flat, where they eventually found him,” said Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana.

The man was then taken to hospital after his colleagues “noticed that he was not well”.

Kinana, however, said no injuries were reported.

“The circumstances surrounding the incident are currently under investigation,” said Kinana, adding that no arrests have been made.

Assassination attempt on vice-chancellor

This comes after the bodyguard of University of Fort Hare vice-chancellor Professor Sakhela Buhlungu was shot dead.

The bodyguard, Mboneli Vesele, died in what is suspected to be an assassination attempt on Buhlungu.

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Vesele was in the vice-chancellor’s car at the time of the shooting. The car was reportedly riddled with bullets.

It was not the first attempted assassination of Buhlungu either.

In March 2022, a man was captured on CCTV footage climbing over a wall and firing three shots at Buhlungu’s house.

University of Fort Hare employees targeted

University of Fort Hare spokesperson JP Roodt said the university has seen several violent attacks recently after it started clamping down on corruption.

“Last year, shots were fired into the residence of the deputy vice-chancellor for teaching and learning, Prof Renuka Vithal,” he said.

On May 19 the university’s fleet and transport manager, Petrus Roets, was shot dead in a suspected hit near the Gonubie off-ramp.

Kinana, though, said police do not suspect that the university employee being bound and gagged is related to previous attacks on UFH staffers.

“The Saps does not relate or associate this incident with previous incidents which were reported and associated with Fort Hare University employees.”

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