By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The case of an Eldorado Park police officer accused of killing his ex-girlfriend on Boxing Day was postponed in absentia in the Protea Magistrate Court.
Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) spokesperson Lizzy Suping said the matter will be back in court on 6 January 2025.
“The officer is still in hospital under police guard after trying to commit suicide when he was arrested for the alleged murder of the girlfriend. The officer is expected to appear in person in January.”
The officer used his service pistol to kill his girlfriend, Chesnay Keppler, who was a crime prevention warden last week.
An incident report from the Eldorado Park police station states that the sergeant, allegedly intoxicated while on duty, visited his off-duty girlfriend. After forcing her into a police vehicle and assaulting her and her friends, the women managed to escape and lock themselves inside the house.
The sergeant then fired shots through the kitchen window with his service pistol, fatally wounding Keppler, before fleeing the scene.
She was declared dead upon arrival at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
Last week, acting Gauteng premier Lebogang Maile said men must take the lead in combating gender-based violence (GBV) since other men predominantly perpetrate this crime.
“It’s hurting to see that the woman was killed by the man who was supposed to protect her. I am told that the man is in the hospital, and we are praying that he must not die so that he can face the crime that he committed because death will be an easy way out.
“I interacted with all the stakeholders to ensure he does not get bail when he appears in court. Those who know him say he has a violent past,” Maile said.
Meanwhile Ditebogo Frans Gololo accused of sexual grooming after impregnating a 13-year-old girl in Seshego township in Polokwane, Limpopo has been postponed to 8 January for bail application and further investigations.
Gololo remains in custody.
National Prosecution Authority (NPA) spokesperson in Limpopo, Mashudu Malabi Dzhangi, said the case docket will be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Gololo was arrested on 26 December 2024, just one day after the young girl gave birth to a baby boy on Christmas Day.
The arrest was carried out by the Seshego Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit.
The incident is considered statutory rape due to minors below the age of 16 being prohibited to consent or take part in any sexual activity.
The South African Criminal Justice System says that consensual sexual activity between 12 and 15-years-olds is not a sexual offence.