
Mduduzi Mnisi appears at the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on 2 July 2025, charged with the murder of 14-year-old Likhona Fose. Image: Sphamandla Dlamini/EWN.
(The Post News)– The Tshegofatso Pule Foundation has condemned the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court for granting R5,000 bail to Mduduzi Mnisi, the man accused of the premeditated murder of 14-year-old Likhona Fose.
Fose’s badly mutilated body was discovered a day after she was reportedly seen with the accused in Durban Deep, Johannesburg, the day she went missing. Mnisi was currently on parole for a 2009 robbery and attempted murder conviction.
The Tshegofatso Pule Foundation spokesperson Botlhale Modisane criticized the court’s decision to grant Mnisi bail, calling it “a spit in the family’s [and community’s] face” and slamming the justice system for its leniency and “disregard” toward repeat offenders.
Notably, in a chilling parallel, the Roodepoort court is the same court that postponed the bail application of Ntuthuko Shoba in 2021, the mastermind behind the killing of eight-month-pregnant Tshegofatso Pule. Shoba was later convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Gauteng High Court in 2022.
The State opposed bail, citing Mnisi’s parole status and the severity of his convicted crimes. However, his defense argued that there was no direct evidence linking him to the crime—only a single witness account claiming he was seen with the victim—leading the court to approve his bail.
The National Prosecuting Authority says it accepts the court’s ruling but emphasizes that investigations are still ongoing. Spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane confirmed that the state is still consulting various witnesses and will outline the way forward once the investigation is complete. However, despite being granted bail, Mnisi will remain behind bars due to violations of his parole conditions, pending a decision from the Department of Correctional Services.