Bodyguard Gunned Down In An Assassination Attempt On Fort Hare University’s Vice-Chancellor

An assassination attempt against Fort Hare University Vice-Chancellor Professor Sakhela Buhlungu resulted in the death of a protection officer. The incident has been described as a shooting incident.

Mboneli Vesele was shot and died on Friday night in the Eastern Cape after bullets were fired at Buhlungu’s vehicle while it was parked outside of his residence on the Alice campus.

Buhlungu was able to flee without being hurt.

The institution has stated that the shooting was part of a premeditated assassination attempt, and Buhlungu has been moved to a secure place.

“The Vice-Chancellor is unharmed, survived the attempt to assassinate him, and is currently at a safe location,” JP Roodt, a representative from the university, stated.

Roodt has also requested that anybody who have shared footage or photographs of the vehicle in question abstain from doing so out of respect for the victim.

Meanwhile, a professor at Free State University named Jonathan Jansen has spoken out against the shooting, stating that incidents like these are what can be expected when citizens speak up against corrupt institutions.

The attempted assassination of the Fort Hare University Vice-Chancellor must be condemned at the highest level; his security detail did not survive. This is what happens when you take a stand against corruption. The struggle is real 😤

— Jonathan Jansen (@JJ_Stellies) January 7, 2023

According to the university’s statement, trauma counseling will be made available to students, employees, and Vesele’s family.