Mthobisi Khanyile (29) from Umlazi in Durban, who has been in custody since the Easter weekend has asked the court to grant him bail so he can tend to his two pregnant girlfriends.

Khanyile is one of the five accused of killing two University of Fort Hare employees. They are alleged to be the hitmen hired by Bongani Peter, Sicelo Mbulawa and Wanini Khuza, to kill University of Fort Hare fleet manager Petrus Roets and Vice Chancellor Professor Sakhele Buhlungu's bodyguard, Mboneli Vesele. Three of the accused, had a history with the  university. Peter was a suspended fleet officer, Mbulawa is a final year LLB student, who also did business with the university's fleet department, while Khuza was the retired chancellor's chauffeur. The vice chancellor's bodyguard of five years, Vesele, was killed on 6 January in a drive by shooting outside Buhlungu's home in Alice. Buhlungu had long been drooped off by then and was safe in his house. On 19 May last year, Fort Hare fleet manager Roets was also shot dead near his home in Gonubie while on his way home from the Alice campus. 

Khanyile who has three other children said being behind bars would have a negative impact on his children.His defence ,Henry van Breda ,read out his affidavit in court saying,"My three minor children live with their unemployed mothers in Umlazi and Amanzimtoti. My two girlfriends are also pregnant." He said he was a civil engineering dropout who made R6000 a month as a taxi driver and used the money to take care of his children and siblings. He told the court that he also buys and sells secondhand cars to make an extra income."My children and siblings will suffer because of my incarceration. Also being in prison puts me at risk of contracting diseases like tuberculosis," Khanyile said. During his arrest Khanyile had been acquitted by the Durban Magistrates' Court on charges of theft.

Khanyile said he will plead not guilty to the charges tabled against him. Khanyile and his co-accused Mthobisi Dlamini Zondo face a string of charges including the murders of Roets and Vesele, the attempted murder of Buhlungu, the attempted murder of Buhlungu's office manager Nozuko Mabombo, as well as possession of ammunition and weapons and fraud and corruption.