Mr Bongani Msomi
UDM Secretary General
We are shocked at reports of the arrest of a 23-year-old Nelson Mandela University student, Athenkosi Zenani, who allegedly stabbed a man to death in self-defence after two Tanzanian men tried to apparently rob him and his friends. We have noted that he has since been released on bail.
We too frequently see our justice system fail and leave those who are the victims of crime to their own devises. It is unfortunate that we live in a society where citizens in a desperate situation defend their lives to the point where they are vulnerable to prosecution.
We do not necessarily condone the action of this young man or encourage vigilantism but, if it is true that the aim of the men that accosted them was to murder the student and his friends, it harks back to the “Lion Mama” case.
Once the police have established the facts and there is enough evidence that the student might have had no other choice but to act as he did, we hope that the National Prosecuting Authority will do the right thing and drop the charges against him.
The United Democratic Movement encourages the police to swiftly get to the bottom of this case so that justice can take its course.
