Mangosuthu University of Technology female students expressed fear following the 23-year-old murder accused Thabani Mzolo’s smile and imitated signs of pulling a trigger as he was leaving the dock.
“After what happened we haven’t been able to cope. I can only imagine what the roommate is going through. What he did at the courtroom proved that he is not remorseful for what he did,” said a student who asked not to be named.
#MUT Th case against 23 year old Thabani Mzolo has been adjourned to the 10 of May for further investigation. He is accused of the murder of MUT student #ZolileKhumalo. pic.twitter.com/hHiCXQxdW5
— Nushera Raisa (@nushera) May 3, 2018
She also said they will now be living in fear after the accused smiled and made hand gestures of what students said to be signals of pulling a trigger.
“I’m scared that if he granted bail he will come for all of us. I just wish he could be found guilty and be sentenced to life in prison, otherwise he will come back and terrorise us,” she said.
Grief filled the courtroom as some students expressed sadness and started crying when Mzolo made his way to the dock.
He made his first appearance before magistrate Mohamed Motala and is facing charges of premeditated murder of Zolile Khumalo and possession of an unlicensed firearm. He will be remanded in custody for the next seven days, and is expected to be back in court on Thursday, 10 May, where a decision will be made on whether he will be granted bail.
Addressing crowds of students outside the court, the student representative council (SRC) president, Sandile Dlamini said that Mzolo did not show any signs of being remorseful meaning he doesn’t regret what he did.
“Until justice is served, we will be here in court. All we want is justice for Zoe; she didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not wrong for her to say I don’t love you anymore,” he said.
Asked if there were any plans in place should the accused be granted bail, Dlamini said that “I don’t think the court would want us to take the law into our own hands. We are capable of doing that but we choose not to do it, so they shouldn’t push us to that extent,” he said.
It is understood that Mzolo gained access to the institution’s outsourced residence posing as a friend and allegedly murdered Khumalo in front of her roommate.
The university said that the tragedy came as a shock. Senior Communications and Marketing Director Mbali Mkhize said the institution is in solidarity with the family.
“We are heartbroken by what has happened. We can feel what the parents are feeling and we hope this is the last to happen at MUT,” she said.
Mkhize also said they have failed the family and the deceased.
