Johannesburg – Mduduzi Trevor Mnisi, the 39-year-old man accused of the murder of 14-year-old Likhona Fose, is a free man again after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) withdrew charges against him.
Explaining the unexpected twist in the highly publicised court case, the NPA on Wednesday, 30 July 2025, said it withdrew the murder charges against Mnisi after the emergence of information suggesting the accused was not the last person to be seen with Fose.
Mnisi was arrested in June and had been charged with the murder of Fose, whose mutilated body was discovered in an open veld at Durban Deep, Gauteng, on 1 June 2025.
However, earlier this month, Mnisi, who is out on parole for another matter, was granted bail of R5 000 by the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court.
During his application to be released on bail, Mnisi insisted that he didn’t know the deceased.
He also raised an alibi about his whereabouts on 31 May 2025, the day Fose went missing.
The accused said his phone records would prove that he was in Daveyton on that day.
“Subsequent to Mnisi’s bail hearing, the NPA gave instructions to the Investigating Officer to probe his alibi, and indeed his phone was linked to a tower in Daveyton,” explained NPA Gauteng Spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane.
“Furthermore, there were more statements obtained from other witnesses that confirmed that Minisi could not have been the last person to be seen with the deceased.
“The decision to withdraw charges is therefore fair and responsible under these circumstances.”
Mjonondwane said the investigation into the murder of Fose continues.
“At this stage, we urge community members to work with us in our attempts to find justice for the affected family,” the spokesperson implored.
