To be bullied by murderers
even further. I made a few strategic appearances when the accused was in court. I didn’t want it to be triumphalist at a time when things were still unfolding.
“The university never stopped working. We taught. I went with the flow. I was able to forget until I went home in the evening. Then I would just let the waves wash over me. Even as these things were happening, we were on an upward trajectory – refurbishing classrooms, building in East London and doing our water project. We were working. Our students were succeeding.”
Buhlungu said along with the arrests came a sense of hope. “We also invited the Special Investigating Unit. We were shadow boxing with the Eastern Cape premier, Oscar Mabuyane, over his academic qualifications. I was in a very good space. Plaatjies was active, and I let him do his thing.”
And then came the shock of Plaatjies’s arrest. “To say that Plaatjies was close to me is an understatement... He knew what I was thinking and what I was planning. I listened to him, and his advice carried the most significant weight regarding police matters. He was my interface person with the SAPS, the Hawks and everyone else.”
During a meeting with police investigators on 16 November 2023, which Plaatjies also attended, a general who was present asked to speak to Buhlungu alone.
“The general broke the news to me that they are arresting Plaatjies as we speak. I almost fell off the chair... I could have blacked out for a minute, but I didn’t. During these difficult times of murders and so on, I learned to manage my emotions quickly. If it was a shock I have learned to shorten the time of the shock and then listen, be alert and think of the next move.”
Plaatjies was promptly arrested at the meeting. “There was a small army of police officers outside... They took Plaatjies ... and had a car waiting to take him away... It must have been a very lonely time for him. He had styled himself as the general, the showman. That is what people called him, you know, the general.”
Plaatjies was summarily dismissed from the university when it emerged that he had faked his qualifications. “I don’t think he saw the arrest coming. He had an exaggerated sense of his own untouchability and invincibility, and he was a cocky man. The things he was doing were brazen.”
Driving back from East London, Buhlungu realised that his driver did not know what was happening. “I suddenly thought, I can’t tell him about Plaatjies – he will roll this car. He was working with Plaatjies and he trusted him. So I sat [quiet] for three hours. My head was spinning. My driver was completely oblivious.”
Buhlungu eventually told his driver what had happened when they were near his residence.
The man’s shock mirrored what would be felt on campus when news of Plaatjies’s arrest became known. People were surprised and scared – they had opened up to him and suddenly, it turned out that he was involved.
But, said Buhlungu, there was also a strong view that Plaatjies was being framed, that it was a plot to “get” to the vice-chancellor.
“I went into overdrive the day after his arrest. My message was there are two sides to the story: he has either been framed or been involved. I said we have time, don’t rush to take a position. Suspend your judgement. Let’s hear what he says when he applies for bail. People wanted to raise money for his defence ... some people were intensely loyal. He was a very charming person. He has something about him.
“He went for bail, and it was denied three times. Now he is trying for a fourth time and we haven’t seen the outcome yet. After his first or second bail application, people lost faith that he had been framed.
“I never spoke to him again. I will probably never see him again.”
During Plaatjies’s bail application, the magistrate described him as “dishonest and dangerous”.
“I have come to think exactly that now,” Buhlungu said.
Speaking about Vesele’s murder, Buhlungu said Plaatjies’s callous behaviour on that day shocked him when the truth came out in court. The agreement was always that the bodyguard would phone Buhlungu to let him know he had arrived home safely.
“On that day, Plaatjies called me as the killing was happening. The next thing he says to me: ‘Has Vesele phoned?’ I said no, I am surprised he has not.
“Plaatjies phoned me later. He then stopped our conversation and said there was another call coming in. When he came back on the line, he was all hysterical and crying. He said Vesele had been killed. And he said: ‘I am in Colesberg on my way to the ANC’S January 8 statement in Bloemfontein. I am doing a U-turn.’ Then he Whatsapped me. He said he was going to Graaff-reinet because he was in shock and needed an injection. In court, we heard he had been in East London the whole time. He had lied to me,” Buhlungu said.
“I am confident that the case will be prosecuted. I am satisfied with the investigation’s depth, and I will be watching it closely.”
Buhlungu said the past two years had taken their toll on him both professionally and personally, but he was not complaining.
“It comes with the territory, I suppose. I managed to trim my life right down. The last time I walked in Alice must have been six years ago. I used to love walking, but now I can’t do it. I can’t go shopping in Fort Beaufort. I go on a very protected trip to East London. I can’t go window shopping and greet friends. I can’t go to restaurants for a meal in these parts. We only go when there is a convoy – maybe spend a little time at Hogsback, but it is just in and out while being protected,” he said.
“I am not that sociable, so I am not complaining. But this alone time allowed me to recharge very quickly after each shock to get a new perspective – a better perspective on life, the world and the university.”
He has been overwhelmed by the community’s support and by people pressing upon him not to quit his fight for justice, and not to let the “thieves prevail”.
“Soon after Vesele’s death, the South African Council of Churches convened a prayer meeting here on campus. We seated 15,000 people on that day – students, staff and community members. It was a highlight for me, but it didn’t stop there. People are writing me letters of support. That is what matters the most.
“I immerse myself as much as possible in these spaces. The people of Alice know we are here for them. The students saw this happen and they were shocked like everyone else, but they went on with life.”
Buhlungu said he created the Vice-chancellor’s Cup soccer competition for students, the student representative council (SRC) and the staff to take on one another, and his excitement is obvious when he talks about how he and the campus have been able to pick up the pieces after the murders and all the shocking revelations.
“This past Saturday and Sunday, the place was just a blast of colour, smiles, energy and people. I played myself,” Buhlungu said, whipping out his cellphone to show the pictures of him in action.
“I am making the best of my life under challenging circumstances. I can walk here on campus and I play here. I played the whole first half of the game. In a very minute way, that illustrates my life here.
“I give a tour of the Alice campus. We are a national heritage site. I take 20 people at a time. We ride the bus, we walk. I take the firstyear students and I show them everything. I haven’t gone home the last three weekends. I pack my weekends with the campus tours. I have bridged the gap between myself and others, students and staff,” he said.
“I am an intellectual independent. I don’t toe the line. I have never done it and am not going to start doing it now. I didn’t come here as a political choice.
“There is hope now – something bigger than hope.”