A Gauteng Provincial Traffic official who is accused of killing his wife has been denied bail by the Mamelodi Magistrates Court. Officer Zakhele Bennet Hlongwane (53) from Mamelodi is facing a charge of premeditated murder of his wife, Tili Desire Ngobeni (33), as well as a charge breaking in with the intent to kill and pointing of a firearm.

KILLED IN FRONT OF HER CHILDREN

According to National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, on the morning of April 1, 2024, Hlongwane went to his wife’s place of residence in Mamelodi. "On arrival, Hlongwane broke open the deceased room door and began to shoot her multiple times in the presence of their five- and three-year-old children," Mahanjana said. She added that after the brother of the deceased heard the gunshots, he came out of his room, and the accused pointed a firearm at him. An hour later, Hlongwane handed himself over to the Mamelodi Police Station and has been in custody since.

STATE OPPOSED BAIL

Mahanjana said in court that, through his legal representative, Hlongwane asked to be released on bail because, after committing the offences, he had an opportunity to flee but rather handed himself to the police. She added that the officer said he needed to take care of their 15-year-old daughter and feared that his place of residence would continue being vandalised by criminals. Mahanjana further said that the state prosecutor, Tshilidzi Mugeri, opposed the bail application, saying that the accused personally knows the witnesses, therefore granting him bail will endanger their lives. "The fact that the fact that the accused handed himself over to the police isn’t exceptional either; rather, it was the right thing to do. Therefore, bail was denied. The matter has been postponed to September 18 2024, for further investigations," she said.