The Springs magistrate’s court has granted R10,000 bail to the woman who is accused of hiring a murderer to kill her husband, an officer with the Ekhurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD).
This was revealed during the proceedings of the bail application judgment for Sibongile Prudence Dhlamini (43), the widow of EMPD officer Banele Christopher Sikhosana (33).
Dhlamini appeared in court alongside her co-accused, Nhliziyozabantu Mangwenyana (34), who abandoned his bail application.
Sikhosana was shot and killed on February 7 in KwaThema, Ekurhuleni, while he was unloading stock at the tuck shop he and Dhlamini owned, according to the investigating officer’s affidavit.
Dhlamini and Mangwenyana face a charge of murder.
Dhlamini was arrested on February 14, while she was getting ready for her husband’s funeral at their KwaThema home, while Mangwenyana was arrested on February 10.
The couple has a two-year-old son together, and Sikhosana paid Lobola for Dhlamini in November 2024.
Police discovered a firearm on Mangwenyana when they arrested him at the Kwa-Thema hostel.
According to magistrate Pravina Lazarus, who presided over Monday’s court proceedings, Dhlamini demonstrated that her son’s extraordinary circumstances, who is only 15 years old, justified her being granted bail.
Child suffers from hemiplegic
Dhlamini stated in her bail application that she should be released on bail because she has a disabled child who requires her care.
She said she quit her teaching position to care for her 15-year-old son, who was injured in a car accident and now has a disability.
According to Dhlamini, her child is currently enrolled in a special needs school.
“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,” said Dhlamini through her lawyer Ephraim Talane in February.
“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.
Since her only source of income is the tuck shop she owned with her late husband, Dhlamini claimed she can afford the R1 000 bail.
Lazarus said: “You have shown exceptional circumstances for your minor child. It is in the interest of justice that the court permits your release on bail. You are granted R10 000 bail.”
According to Lazarus, Dhlamini’s bail conditions include appearing in court on each and every court date until her case is resolved.
Case postponed to May 2
The magistrate said Dhlamini must not threaten, intimidate, or have any direct or indirect contact with state witnesses.
Dhlamini is required to report to the Tsakane police station on Mondays and Fridays between 8am and 6pm., according to Lazarus.
Lazarus postponed the case to May 2 for further police investigations, while Mangwenyana remains in police custody.
Lumka Mahanjana, regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, said: “It is alleged that on 7 February 2025, at around 07:30 in the morning, Sikhosana had gone to a tuckshop in KwaThema when he was shot and killed by Mangwenyana.
“After investigations by the police, Mangwenyana was arrested on 10 February 2025. A few days later, on 14 February 2025, the wife, Dhlamini, was arrested at her home while still preparing for the burial of her husband.”
