Johannesburg - A Soshanguve police officer, who is accused of murder, was denied bail in the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Constable Silas Maluleke, 40, faces charges of murder, attempted and arson for allegedly firing gunshots at his ex-girlfriends home and breaking windows. The ex-girlfriend’s mother was fatally wounded.
He also allegedly set the house on fire but not before the ex-girlfriend, who is also a police officer, retrieved a firearm and fired at the police officer who then fled the scene.
NPA Gauteng spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the police officer was arrested on June 14, six days after the incident. She said paramedics declared the ex-girlfriend’s mother dead at the scene.
“The Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court denied Constable Maluleke from Soshanguve bail on the charge of murder, attempted murder and arson.
“It is alleged that on 8 June 2021, Maluleke went to the home of his ex-girlfriend, who is a mother to his son and also a police officer, and broke the window of the sitting room where the ex-girlfriend, his son and her mother were sitting.
“The grandmother saw him and told the girlfriend who it was.
“He then started firing shots inside the house using his service pistol.
“One of the shots hit the grandmother.
“After firing shots, he threw something that caught fire inside the house which led to part of the house to burn. The ex-girlfriend then took the child to the room and collected her gun and fired shots back.
“Maluleke ran and the girlfriend called for help. An ambulance was called and the grandmother died on the scene while being treated,” said Mahanjana.
The murder-accused police officer is expected to return to court on July 29 while further investigations take place. He was denied bail.
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