News24.com | Fort Hare murders: Lawyers club together to buy diesel for backup generator to keep court lights on

Dimbaza Magistrate's Court.

• The Dimbaza Magistrate's Court's backup generator has no diesel.   
• The country is in the grips of stage 6 load shedding.
• Since 2007, Eskom had been implementing deliberate power cuts to save the national energy grid from total collapse. 

Lawyers of the five men accused of murdering two University of Fort Hare employees clubbed together to buy diesel after it emerged that the Dimbaza Magistrate's Court's backup generator had none to power it. 

The lawyers scrambled to keep the lights on after the power went out at 12:05 on Friday due to load shedding. 

The blackout kicked in as defence lawyer Ronny Lesele was busy arguing for the release on bail of his two clients, Bongani Peter and Wanini Khuza. 

During the dark, while magistrate Mhlanga Bala was explaining to the court that he had to adjourn because there was no diesel to power a backup generator, Lesele interrupted Bala with a solution.

READ | Load shedding disrupts first day of trial against Enyobeni tavern owners, causes delays

"Your worship, I just had a discussion with my learned colleagues whom all agreed to club a donation for diesel so we can finalise these arguments today. It is important that we finish today as bail application is an urgent matter," said Lesele. 

The other lawyers - Henry van Breda, Asanda Pakade and Xolani Madalane - nodded to show Bala they were in agreement with Lesele. 

An amused Bala adjourned proceedings for the lawyers to meet with the court manager to organise for someone to go and buy diesel. 

"Gentlemen, I hope this is pro bono," joked Bala, to the amusement of those in attendance.     

The bail arguments are expected to continue for the rest of the afternoon.

Eskom continues to receive flak from the public for implementing load shedding.

Since 2007, it has been deliberately cutting power to save the national energy grid from total collapse. 

Before the power cuts, Lesele had told the court that the State’s case against his clients was based on wild inferences and circumstantial evidence.  

He told the court that the State’s case was such in serious doubt and that it was shooting in the dark. 

Lesele also told the court the State has the wrong people in the dock and that the big fish who are supposed to be in the dock, are roaming the streets.

The State is opposing the bail application of Peter, Khuza, Sicelo Mbulawa, Mthobisi Khanyile and Mthobisi Dlamini.

READ | Fort Hare VC's bodyguard killed in car crash was also on hit list, court hears

Peter, Mbulawa and Khuza are accused of hiring Khanyile and Dlamini to assassinate UFH officials for trying to block corruption at the institution.

They stand accused of killing the university's fleet manager Petrus Roets and Vice Chancellor Professor Sakhela Buhlungu's bodyguard Mboneli Vesele.

Police claim to have found a hit list with names and pictures of 13 people which had price tags, and Buhlungu and his deputy, Professor Renuka Vithal, were the most lucrative. 

Buhlungu was priced at R5 million, while R3 million was offered to kill Vithal, the court heard previously.