Court postpones murder case to next year
Masuku's husband and his co-accused are facing charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
The trial against the 34-year-old husband who stands accused of murdering his wife, Constable Prudence Masuku, will be heard March 4 to 15, 2024, in the high court sitting in Benoni Magistrate’s Court.
The husband and his 30-yearold co-accused will stand trial for the murder of the Daveyton SAPS police officer, killed while seven months pregnant.
They are both facing charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
The trial was expected to begin in October. However, because of outstanding cellphone records, the court postponed it until next year.
While accompanied by her husband, Masuku was shot and killed in Putfontein on her way to work on June 23, 2022.
Also Read: Breaking news: Female police officer shot dead in Daveyton
According to a police report, men in two taxis allegedly confronted the couple on Durant Road, Mkgoba Village. Passengers from both taxis allegedly approached the couple and fired several shots at the police officer while her husband ran for cover.
When he returned to their vehicle, he allegedly noticed his wife’s service firearm missing and reported the matter to the police.
The police arrested the husband on the same day in connection with the murder. Members of the Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit, Ekurhuleni Crime Intelligence and Johannesburg Metro Police nabbed his co-accused in July after swiftly reacting to information about a suspect demanding cash for murdering the police officer, from a ‘middle man’.
At the formal bail hearing at the Daveyton Magistrate’s Court in November, magistrate Vinny Gobind denied the husband bail on the grounds that he was a danger to the public after the police found seven cartridges on the scene and because they related the case to gender-based violence.
It was revealed in court that on the day of the husband’s arrest, a gunshot residue test was administered to him and he tested positive for gunshot residue on his thumb and index finger.
Also Read: WATCH: Emotional scenes at memorial service for female police officer
