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The four suspects in the ruthless attack of two students of the Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State, which led to the one victim’s death, have been granted bail. They are Tumelo Monyane (27), Thabang Joseph Mabesa (25), Neo Pitso Molefe (23) and Thato Mahlomela (20).
They were granted bail ranging from R500 to R1 000 during their reappearance in the Bloemfontein Magistrates’ Court on 18 April. The assailants face charges of murder and assault with intention to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH), emanating from an attack that culminated in the death of Thato Molaodi (19) and landed Lerato Khobeni (20) in hospital with crucial injuries.
The charge of murder relates to the death of Molaudi and charge of GBH to severe assault of Khobeni when brutally attackedassault occurred on 9 April.
Mojalefa Senokoatsane, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the Free State and Northern Cape, said the matter had been postponed to Monday, 20 May, to allow for police investigations. The four suspects were granted bail after initially being remanded in custody following their arrest shortly after the incident.
Molaodi was a second-year Bachelor of Education (BEd) student majoring in Economics and Management Sciences, and Khobeni is a third-year BEd student majoring in Mathematics.
It emerged that when attacked, the two victims had reportedly been on their way to the CUT Bloemfontein campus to try resolve delayed payment of their monthly allowance and tuition fees by the Norraco Corporation, a financial services provider enlisted by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to allocate monies to CUT students.
They were among the scores of NSFAS-funded students who have yet to receive their allowances for the second quarter of the academic year, while awaiting clarification about the delayed payment.
The NSFAS board’s inability to resolve the ongoing crisis led to the minister of higher education, Blade Nzimande, dissolving the board on Friday, 12 April, hereafter appointing Sithembiso Freeman Nomvalo as the new administrator of the embattled financial scheme the government has set up to aid financially struggling students to study further at universities across the country.
