Durban metro cop who allegedly shared video of dead girlfriend appears on murder charge

Family of the Durban metro police officer who was fatally stabbed allegedly by her colleague and boyfriend want him to confess to his crime so they can be “spared” further grief associated with the trial.

Sizwe Ngema, 27, a fellow officer, made his first appearance in the Durban magistrate's court on charges of premeditated murder and theft on Tuesday.

Ngema is alleged to have stabbed pregnant girlfriend Yolanda Bianca Khuzwayo, who was also an officer, and stolen her phone from her flat on Joseph Nduli Street in the early hours of Sunday morning.

He allegedly took pictures and videos of her final moments and sent them to several people and also posted it on social media.

He was handed over to the police by his family a few hours later.

The matter was postponed for a formal bail application and for the outcome of his legal aid application as the court still needs to verify details for the verification of the suspension.

During a short court recess, an emotional Nozipho Khuzwayo, Yolanda’s aunt, questioned why the Ngema family had come to support the “evil” perpetrator and said they should instead urge him to confess to his crime.

She said Ngema’s actions were premeditated and void of any regret, as shown by him filming the incident.

“What he did was not a mistake, he did it on purpose, and the video he made showed he was proud.”

Khuzwayo said she realised Ngema was “evil” after she asked Yolanda to confirm if they were really friends or a couple.

“That guy was evil. I saw the evil look in his eye. There was this one time I asked Yolanda, ‘Are you sure that you and this person are just friends?’ and she said we would talk about it. The look he gave me was [deadly]. That person is evil. If you speak about evil, it’s in him.”

The aunt and cousin, Philasande Khuzwayo, said Yolanda had told them she had been physically abused previously.

"She ended up not telling me about stuff in her relationship because I was very strict about the whole thing that once a guy starts hitting you it will never stop, and it can eventually lead to a loss of life, so she hid the fact they were still romantically involved."

She said the two had met at the training academy in 2023, but Khuzwayo only admitted they were romantically involved after three months.

She also confirmed that Yolanda was pregnant at the time of her death.

"I don't know how many months, but the belly had started showing.”

She described her cousin as a loving and peaceful soul and the manner of her death came as a huge shock to the family.

Nozipho said the three of them, Philasande and Yolanda, were scheduled to meet on Sunday.

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