The woman suspected of the murder of her policeman husband, has accused his colleagues of torture and abuse.
Sibongile Prudence Dhlamini (43) of Tsakane, on the East Rand, was arrested two weeks ago accused of orchestrating the murder of her Ekurhuleni metro police husband.
She has now come out to accuse his EMPD colleagues of making her take off her clothes.
The accused alleges she was forced to remove her skirt and underwear then wear a nappy during the torture. She alleges EMPD officers sat her on a high chair. Her hands handcuffed behind her and feet tied together.
She claims she was suffocated
The officers put an evidence bag over her head to suffocate her while pressing it against her nose, she said.
All this at the EMPD offices in Kwa-Thema, Ekurhuleni.
She added she was also slapped across the face.
Dhlamini revealed this during her application for bail in the Springs Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. Both she and co-accused Nhliziyozabantu Mangwenyana (34) of Kwa-Thema, want to be released on bail.
They are charged with the murder of Banele Christopher Sikhosana (33), shot dead on February 7 in Kwa-Thema.
Dhlamini was arrested on Valentine’s Day
Mangwenyana was arrested on February 10 and Dhlamini, ironically on Valentine’s Day four days later. She was nabbed at her home while still preparing for her husband’s funeral.
Sikhosana had only paid lobola for his bride four months earlier. The couple share a two-year-old child.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the authority believes she hired Mangwenyana for the murder.
“It is further alleged that on 7 February 2025, around 7.30am, Sikhosana went to a local tuckshop. There, Mangwenyana shot him dead.”
She added that three days later he was arrested
“A few days later, on 14 February, the wife, Dhlamini, was arrested at her home while still preparing for the burial of her husband,” said Mahanjana.
Activists packed the courtroom
The courtroom was packed with anti-gender-based violence activists and people clad in ANC and EFF regalia on Thursday.
The proceedings started with Mangwenyana’s lawyer Lindiswa Dyani telling magistrate Pravina Lazarus that her client was abandoning his bid for bail.
She said he had been tortured to make a confession.
Dhlamini’s lawyer Ephraim Talane doubled down on the bid for freedom “because she has a disabled child that needs her”.
Dhlamini said she left her teaching job to look after her 15-year-old son who became disabled after a motor-vehicle accident.
I can only afford a R1000, accused claims
She said her son attends a special needs school and she could only afford R1 000 for bail. This is because her source of income was the spaza shop she and Sikhosana own in Kwa-Thema.
“My 15-year-old son was involved in a motor-vehicle accident and suffered a head injury. He has a hemiplegic condition and attends a special needs school. The child currently lives with my mother.
“My mother is old. My son is hyperactive and does not take instructions. He is not capable of independent living. I quit my profession to look after him. My disabled child needs my care,” said Dhlamini.
She added she has no passport and is not a flight risk.
Dhlamini also has no pending cases and protection orders against her. She also has never been arrested.
Dhlamini will plead not guilty
“The case against me is a fabrication. The state’s case is weak and based on a false confession. I deny the allegations against me and intend to plead not guilty,” she said.
State prosecutor Advocate Elbri Klassen asked for a postponement while police verify the claims about the disabled child. This will allow police time to complete downloading evidence from the cell phones of the two accused.
Lazarus obliged. The case was postponed to March 4 for further investigations.
