Africa-Press – Ethiopia. A large crowd gathered outside the Camperdown Magistrate’s Court on Monday where a KwaZulu-Natal cop stands accused of murdering his teacher wife.
Nene allegedly shot and killed his wife Thobeka Msomi Nene, 41, during an argument in their family home in Ntshanga suburb, west of Durban, two weeks ago.
Mthokozisi Nene, 44, made a brief appearance in court as a packed public gallery watched on Monday.
Thobeka’s two daughters, along with community members, politicians including the MEC for Social Development Nhlanhla Khoza, former Durban mayor, James Nxumalo, as well as MPLs and councillors were among the large crowd.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Kara said the case was postponed until 13 July for a formal bail application, with Nene remaining in police custody.
“We were pleased that [the court] considered a lot of aspects in this case. It’s clear that the murder was [allegedly] premeditated. We are saddened by this situation, where children [allegedly] lost their mother at the hands of their father,” Khoza said.
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She added that it was, “… unthinkable that anyone would consider taking [the] life of his wife, especially a person who is supposed to provide… support to the family.
“A police officer also has a responsibility to protect the community, but this one [allegedly] showed [he] was heartless. He [allegedly] took the law into his own hands and allegedly shot dead an innocent woman in full view of her children,” said Khoza.
She expressed concern at the fact that Nene had not shown remorse in court, adding that he had not initially surrendered his firearm to the police. He allegedly used the same firearm to shoot his wife, Khoza said.
She said:
Former mayor Nxumalo, lauded the community for “standing together” in supporting the family since Nene’s murder.
“We urge law enforcement agencies to do everything within their powers to ensure that the perpetrator of this heinous crime remains in prison. He has to face the full might of the law. We want to see men being responsible, avoiding killing women and children,” Nxumalo added.
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