A case against murder suspect of a final year LLB Fort Hare student Nosicelo Mtebeni has been postponed to 28 September. The body parts of the 23 year old student were discovered in a suitcase in the streets of East London a week ago. The 25 year old suspect, Alutha Pasile who is believed to have been in a relationship with Nosicelo did not ask for bail.
Nosicelo’s murder from Matatiele has sent shockwave across the nation. According to NPA there is more evidence to be collected in the case. The prosecuting authority says there is an eye witness in the case and the confession of the suspect. Meanwhile Commission for Gender Equality says it is saddened by the murder of University of Fort Hare student Mtebeni.
The Commission has been conducting legal hearings in an effort to assess gender transformation and gender-based violence at public universities and TVET colleges. The hearings were meant to determine vulnerabilities and GBV risks experienced by women at these institutions. Commission’s chairperson Tamara Mathebula said the killing of Mtebeni has taken the country’s efforts of celebrating women a step back.
“These grim developments have darkened the meaning of Women’s Month, and we view the continued killings of women as an act of confrontation to the law by GBV (gender-based violence) perpetrators,” said Mathebula in a statement. Mtebeni’s dismembered body was found on Thursday – some parts in a suitcase and other parts in a black plastic bag.
