The Mamelodi Magistrate’s Court recently denied a Gauteng traffic officer bail in a matter that left his wife (33) dead.

The case of Zakhele Bennet Hlongwane (53) was postponed to September 18 for further investigation.

NPA Tshwane spokesperson, Lumka Mahanjana, said the accused appeared in court for a bail ruling on Friday.

She said Hlongwane of Mamelodi was facing charges of the premeditated murder of his wife, Tili Desire Ngobeni (33), pointing of a firearm and housebreaking with intent to murder.

On April 1 around 05:00 the accused allegedly went to Ngobeni’s residence in Mamelodi. On arrival, Hlongwane broke open the door and shot her multiple times in the presence of their five- and three-year-old children.

Mahanjana said Ngobeni’s brother heard the gunshots, came outside to investigate and the accused pointed a firearm at him.

An hour later, Hlongwane handed himself over to the Mamelodi police and has been in custody since.

In court, Hlongwane asked to be released on bail because, while he had an opportunity to flee after committing the offences, he had handed himself to the police.

He also said he needed to take care of his 15-year-old daughter and feared that criminals would continue to vandalise his residence in his absence.

However, state prosecutor Tshilidzi Mugeri opposed the bail application, saying the accused knew the witnesses, therefore granting him bail would endanger their lives and that the court had the duty and responsibility to ensure their safety.

Mugeri also said the court should take into consideration the prevalence of this kind of offence as South Africa has a notably high rate of femicide cases.

Furthermore, he said the court should ensure that such murderers are not granted bail.

Magistrate Mlombo ruled that she believed the state had a strong case against the accused and that his minor daughter being affected by his incarceration wasn’t exceptional.

She said the fact that the accused had handed himself over to police wasn’t exceptional either, but rather the right thing to do.

Mlombo also found there was a likelihood that Hlongwane would evade trial because if he is found guilty, the prescribed minimum sentence would be life imprisonment.

She said the accused failed to convince the court that exceptional circumstances exist and that it was in the interest of justice to warrant his release on bail.

She denied him bail.

Also Read: Traffic officer accused of killing wife abandons bail

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram