Pretoria policewoman who fatally shot husband denied bail
In a voice recording played in court, the accused told her friend that she was “tired” of her “cheating husband and was now going to use her power.”
The Pretoria North magistrates’ court on Friday, March 8 denied bail to police sergeant Kate Lindiwe Hlongwane (43), who fatally shot her husband after an altercation in their Soshanguve home.
Seargent Hlongwane is attached to the Dube Police Station under the Visible Policing Unit.
She is facing a charge of premeditated murder for killing her husband and father to her three children, Russel Hlongwane (40).
According to NPA regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, in the early hours of January 24, the couple argued at their home in Soshanguve, and Hlongwane then shot her husband several times with her service pistol.
“When the neighbour heard the gunshots, it was alleged that he came to the yard and found the deceased shot on the ground.
He then took the deceased to Akasia Hospital, where he died a few hours later.”
Mahanjana said Hlongwane was arrested by the police on the same day and the case was referred to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate for investigation and handling of the case.
In court, Hlongwane denied intentionally killing her husband, insisting the gun went off while she wrestled with him.
She therefore asked the court to release her on bail because she is the primary caregiver of her children.
However, the prosecutor, Advocate Tumelo Letaoana, opposed her release on bail and argued that Hlongwane disqualified herself from the responsibility of taking care of her children, as such the children are now taken care of by the family of the deceased.
Furthermore, Letaoana told the court that Hlongwane committed a serious offence of Gender Based Violence (GBV), where – through a voice recording that was played in court – Hlongwane told her friend that she was “tired of her cheating husband and was now going to use her power.”
Mahanjana said the magistrate agreed with the state that Hlongwane failed to discharge the onus resting upon her to convince the court to grant her bail and that the state had outdone itself in opposing bail.
The matter was postponed to April 29 for further investigation.
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