A Gauteng traffic officer will spend the rest of his life behind bars after the Pretoria High Court found him guilty of murdering his wife, shooting her multiple times while their two young children watched.
The court sentenced 53-year-old Zakhele Bennet Hlongwane to life imprisonment for killing his 33-year-old wife, Tili Desire Ngobeni. He also received additional sentences for pointing a firearm and damaging property, but these will run concurrently with the life term. The court further ruled that he is unfit to ever own a firearm again.
According to the case presented in court, the tragedy unfolded on 1 April 2024. Hlongwane arrived at Ngobeni’s family home in the early hours of the morning, forced his way into her room by breaking down the door, and opened fire. Their children, aged three and five, were present and witnessed the killing.
A cousin who heard gunshots tried to check on what had happened, but Hlongwane pointed the gun at him before fleeing. Within an hour, he turned himself in at the Mamelodi police station, where he remained in custody after bail was denied.
During the trial, Hlongwane pleaded guilty and claimed he acted out of anger rather than planning to kill his wife. His legal team asked the court to consider his lack of previous offences and the apology letters he wrote to the family and community.
But the State rejected his apology as insincere, arguing that he only expressed regret after conviction. Prosecutors stressed that as a law enforcement officer, husband, and father, he had a responsibility to protect—not harm—his family.
Judge Mashudu Munzhelele agreed with the prosecution, calling the murder “extremely brutal and careless.” The judge noted that Hlongwane showed no true remorse and that no compelling reasons existed to reduce his sentence.
The acting director of public prosecutions in Gauteng praised the outcome, saying that justice for victims remains a priority and that severe sentences send a message to potential offenders about the value of human life.