POLICE OFFICER FOUND GUILTY OF PREMEDITATED MURDER OF HER HUSBAND
17 OCTOBER 2025
POLICE OFFICER FOUND GUILTY OF PREMEDITATED MURDER OF HER HUSBAND
Pretoria – The High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division in Pretoria, has found Police Sergeant Kate Lindiwe Hlongwane (45), attached to the Dube Police Station under Visible Policing, guilty of the premeditated murder of her husband, Russel Hlongwane (40), who was also the father of their three children.
Evidence led in court revealed that on 27 January 2024, Hlongwane visited a sangoma in Soshanguve, JJ. Her husband was alerted by the vehicle tracker that the family car was in a high-risk area. The husband then drove to the location and found Hlongwane consulting with the sangoma. He instructed her to return home, and they each drove back in separate vehicles to their residence in Soshanguve Extension 7.
Later that night, when the husband arrived home, he confronted Hlongwane about her visit to the sangoma, and an argument ensued. The deceased then told her that he would take her to his parents’ house “to learn discipline.” They began loading Hlongwane’s clothes into their vehicle and drove off together. A few minutes later in the early hours of the morning, they returned home, where Hlongwane shot her husband several times with her service pistol.
Upon hearing the car return and gunshots shortly after, the family’s domestic worker went outside to investigate. She then met Hlongwane who ignored her when she asked about her husband’s whereabouts. The helper continued to search and found the deceased lying on the ground outside their gate, bleeding profusely next to a neighbour’s house. A neighbour, who also heard the gunshots, rushed the victim to Akasia Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. Hlongwane was arrested by the SAPS the same day on 28 January 2024, and the case was referred to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) for investigation.
In court, Hlongwane pleaded not guilty, claiming that the firearm discharged accidentally during a struggle with her husband. However, Advocate Vhungani Khoza for the State presented expert ballistic evidence, which contradicted her version. The ballistic expert, trained in distance determination and wound analysis, demonstrated that the shots were fired from a distance, disproving her claim and proving the State’s case beyond a reasonable doubt.
In his judgment, Judge Papi Mosopa said the accused’s version was “unconvincing and improbable.” He rejected her evidence, finding the State’s case credible and unchallenged. The matter has been postponed to 01 December 2025 for sentencing proceedings.
Issued by:
Lumka Mahanjana
NPA Regional Spokesperson
Gauteng Division: Pretoria
073 002 0000