According to the police spokesperson, Thabo Covane, the victim and his friends were walking home from a tavern in Willows, Bloemfontein, when they were confronted by a group of males who demanded their cell phones and money. Covane told OFM News that the victim then handed his possessions to the robbers and a tussle between the victim and suspects ensued shortly thereafter. The suspects stabbed the victim twice in his chest with a knife and he fell down. No arrests have yet been made. Willows is considered a high crime area in Bloemfontein.

Look, we know and even our Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Moeketsi Sempe, is worried about that area. Ella Street has been a problem for some time and there are intensive patrols that are being done there. We always get reinforcements, even from specialised units like the Public Order Police and Tactical Response Team, to deal with that area.

Covane said it is unclear whether the group was travelling by motor vehicle or were walking back to Jim Fouche Street in Universitas, where he is reported to have lived. The victim’s friends reportedly rushed him to the National Hospital in a private vehicle, where medical authorities declared him dead on arrival. Covane said the police do have a lead on the case, despite the fact that no arrests have yet been made. He says investigations are still ongoing.

Covane said police have not yet received permission from the family to release the deceased student’s name. He is originally from Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape and a second-year student at the UFS Bloemfontein campus. Meanwhile, the University of the Free State’s spokesperson, Lacea Loader, had at the time of this article’s publishing not yet responded to questions OFM News sent her in this regard.

OFM News/Pulane Choane