Man held for stabbing student

The man who allegedly stabbed a Nelson Mandela University student during a suspected robbery at a Summerstrand home in February has been arrested.

The arrest was made yesterday afternoon after detectives tracked down Lungile Tsala, 30, to St Albans prison.

Tsala is in prison for a house robbery, also committed in Summerstrand, in April.

Lwandile Madikizela, 20, from East London, was attacked in his flatlet in Gomery Place at about 2.30am on February 7. Madikizela – a third year tourism management student – was stabbed several times in the upper body.

Police spokeswoman Colonel Priscilla Naidu said Detective-Constable Ridwaan Baatjies had received a tip-off that the suspect he was looking for was in St Albans prison.

Naidu said Baatjies, who was on leave, had opted to follow up on the information.

She said that since the attack they had been working informer networks – following up on leads provided on several robbery suspects.

Tsala had been in custody since late April when he was arrested for the other house robbery, in Winchester Way, Summerstrand.

In that robbery, the home owner had woken up and Tsala and another man had held him at knife-point.

Fifteen hours after the attack on Madikizela, Aobakwe Modisane, 23, a law student , was stabbed during a robbery on the outskirts of the university’s north campus.

Tsala will appear in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court tomorrow for attempted murder and house robbery.