The trial for the case of a 25-year-old East London man who is accused of murdering and chopping to pieces a Fort Hare University (UFH) student, Nosicelo Mtebeni, will begin on 29 November 2021 at the East London High Court .

The spokesperson of the national prosecuting authority (NPA) Anelisa Ngcakani said the date of the trial was set on Tuesday by the same court.

The accused, Alutha Pasile, has been charged with murder and defeating the ends of justice, Ngcakani said.

“The charges follow the gruesome murder of a 23-year-old  student, Nosicelo Mtebeni,” Ngcakani said.

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Pasile has applied for Legal Aid. In his first two court appearances he declined to apply for bail or legal representation.

UFH students, along with members of different civil society organizations, including the Uyinene Foundation, on Tuesday demonstrated outside court, calling for justice for Nosicelo’s murder.

The Uyinene Foundation was founded following the 2019 murder of 19-year-old Uyinene Mrwetyana, a former University of Cape Town student who was raped and murdered by former post office worker Luyanda Botha, 42, who was sentenced to three life terms.

The call for justice for Nosicelo Mtebeni was once again intensified when UFH students, led by Dr Rianna Oelofsen and Dr Ellen Rungani (UFH GBV Task Team Members), demonstrated outside the East London courthouse today. pic.twitter.com/uVuufRJapd

— University_Fort Hare (@ufh1916) November 9, 2021

On 19 August 2021 at about 7am, a 36-year-old man was walking on the streets of Quigney in East London when he overheard two school girls expressing their shock and disgust about how sick people in Quigney were. The man then approached the girls as he wanted to find out what they were talking about. They then told him that there were two bags at a nearby garbage dumping site which contained human body parts. He then went to inspect and once he saw the gruesome sight he then alerted police who were patrolling the area.

Police swiftly started investigating. This led them to a witness who allegedly saw Pasile at about 5am leaving his residence with a purple suitcase and a grey-black bag. This account fitted the description of the two bags which were found at the dumping site. Pasile was arrested on the same day.

Pasile and Nosicelo were lovers and lived together in Quigney, East London.

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