Students protest as hit-and-run trialist given bail
OUTRAGED students from the University of Fort Hare yesterday protested against a man accused of killing final-year student Khayalethu Manyana, 27, in a hit-and-run accident.
Manyana, who was studying education in the university’s East London campus, succumbed to his injuries and died on Monday at Frere Hospital. He was from Mbizana.
The man allegedly behind the wheel of a white Volkswagen Golf GTi handed himself over to East London police on Wednesday, four days after the accident.
Lukhanyiso Mapango, 34, of Komani, appeared in the East London Magistrate’s Court yesterday to face a charge of culpable homicide.
Manyana’s classmates and friends attended the court proceedings while others staged a silent protest outside the court building calling on the magistrate to deny Mapango bail.
It is alleged that Manyana had been walking near the intersection of Fleet Street and Currie Street at 2am on Saturday when he was knocked down by the GTi.
Those with him managed to write down the registration of the vehicle as it fled the scene.
A Red Alert patrol guard who was driving past was flagged down, and he called an ambulance.
It arrived 15 minutes later to take Manyana to hospital.
An inquiry to determine why Mapango fled the scene was not held when his name was called.
He arrived in court dressed in a dark blue hoodie, grey track pants and flip flop shoes.
State prosecutor Asanda Nolusu told presiding magistrate Rochelle Sam that the state was not opposing bail on the matter as the police investigation was still under way.
The students packed the court gallery and listened with keen interest.
Nolusu told the court the state was still waiting for a postmortem report, a police report detailing what happened during the accident and how it happened, hospital records, a sketch plan of the accident and a laboratory report to determine the sobriety of both the deceased and the accused at the time of the accident.
Nolusu further told Sam the state recommended that Mapango be released on R500 bail pending further investigation.
Sam agreed and released the accused, postponing the matter to October 19.