Police officer found guilty of husband’s murder in Pretoria
The High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division in Pretoria, has found Police Sergeant Kate Lindiwe Hlongwane (45), of Dube Police Station’s Visible Policing unit, guilty of the premeditated murder of her husband, Russel Hlongwane (40), father of their three children.
Evidence presented in court revealed that on 27 January 2024, Hlongwane visited a sangoma in Soshanguve, JJ. Her husband, alerted by the family car’s tracker that the vehicle was in a high-risk area, drove to the location and found Hlongwane consulting with the sangoma. He instructed her to return home, and they each drove back separately to their residence in Soshanguve Extension 7.
Later that night, an argument broke out at home when the husband confronted Hlongwane about her visit. He told her he would take her to his parents’ house “to learn discipline.” As they loaded her clothes into the vehicle, they drove off together. A few hours later, in the early hours of the morning, they returned home, where Hlongwane shot her husband multiple times with her service pistol.
The family’s domestic worker, hearing the gunshots, went outside to investigate.
She encountered Hlongwane, who ignored her questions about her husband’s whereabouts.
Continuing the search, the worker found Russel Hlongwane lying outside the gate, bleeding heavily near a neighbour’s house.
A neighbour rushed him to Akasia Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Hlongwane was arrested by the SAPS the same day, 28 January 2024, and the case was referred to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).
In court, Hlongwane pleaded not guilty, claiming the firearm discharged accidentally during a struggle.
However, Advocate Vhungani Khoza for the State presented ballistic evidence disproving her version.
The expert showed that the shots were fired from a distance, supporting the State’s case beyond a reasonable doubt.
In his judgment, Judge Papi Mosopa described the accused’s account as “unconvincing and improbable,” rejecting her testimony and upholding the credibility of the State’s evidence.
Sentencing has been scheduled for 1 December 2025.
