Presidential protection officer allegedly shot and killed family ‘for no reason’

The nephew of a presidential protection officer yesterday told the High Court in Pretoria how his uncle had seemingly, for no reason, shot his wife and daughter.

Kgosietsile Peloeole, 21, testified in the trial of his uncle, Warrant Officer Benedict Peloeole, who pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering his wife, Jane, 42, and his daughter, Tsholofelo, 23, at their house in Westville, Pretoria West, on the night of September 12, 2015.

Peloeole admitted that spent cartridges and bullets found at the scene had been fired from his service pistol but said he had been given a substance to subdue him that day and was not aware of the shooting at his house.

His said in his plea explanation he was later informed he was the person who had shot people, but denied that he was the shooter.

His nephew testified that Peloeole had fetched him in Atteridgeville that evening and took him and Ikageng Molalo for a beer before returning home, where he asked his wife to prepare liver.

His aunt was frying onions in the kitchen and her daughter was eating yoghurt and watching television with Kgosietsile and Molalo in the lounge.

Peloeole asked his daughter if she had a problem, to which she said he could hear that she was saying nothing, whereafter the accused went to wash his hands.

His nephew then heard a firearm being cocked in the passage outside and saw his uncle shooting Tsholofelo, then turning towards the kitchen and shooting his wife before shooting Tsholofelo a second time.

He then went back to the kitchen and fired a second shot at his wife. His uncle then went to his bedroom, returned without the firearm and told him and Ikageng to accompany him to a neighbour’s house.

The nephew described his uncle and aunt as a normal couple who had a good relationship with their daughter, who was a social worker, and always sorted out any disagreements amicably.

The trial yesterday had to adjourn while heavily armed task force members accompanied Peloeole to a nearby bank so that he could withdraw money to pay his attorney.