JOHANNESBURG- Two men suspected of involvement in the 2023 murder of Mboneli Vesele, University of Fort Hare vice chancellor, Professor Sakhele Buhlungu’s bodyguard, have been arrested in Gauteng. Bafana Chiliza and Nkosiyazi Maphumulo were apprehended in Zakkariya Park on 21 June 2025, South African Police Service (SAPS) confirmed.

Vesele was fatally shot inside a vehicle while waiting outside the vice chancellor’s home in Alice, Eastern Cape, in 2023. The arrests bring the total number of suspects detained in connection to the Fort Hare murders to 12, following 10 arrests last year.

Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said the suspects would face charges in the Alice Magistrates Court today. A third suspect, Siphiwo Jejane, remains at large, with police continuing their search.