EMALAHLENI – The Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF) Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Desk in Mpumalanga has rallied support against the bail application of Sergeant Walter Masindi (39), who is accused of murdering his wife, Elsie Mothali (37).
More than 250 residents from eMalahleni signed a petition submitted to the eMalahleni Magistrate’s Court, urging the court to deny Masindi bail. EFF GBVF Desk Provincial Coordinator, Dimakatso Phahlamoraswi, emphasised that, as a law enforcement officer, Masindi had a duty to protect, not harm, those closest to him.
The wife succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds in the early hours of Sunday, September 01, 2024, around 03:30 while returning home. After the shooting, the vehicle reportedly crashed into a fence before becoming lodged in a trench.
The sergeant then turned himself in at the Witbank police station, surrendering the firearm believed to have been used in the crime.
The firearm was suspected to be state-issued, and ballistic testing will be conducted as part of the investigation.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the couple had been experiencing domestic difficulties, although the exact motive for the shooting remains unclear.
Kegomoditswe Mothali, the mother, revealed that the police sergeant had a history of violence against her daughter. “My daughter was assaulted last year during the 16 Days of Activism against Women and Child Abuse, and no arrests were made. He always threatened to kill her,” she said, emotionally recounting the traumatic events that preceded her daughter’s death.
She added that her daughter had filed a protection order against the sergeant but was repeatedly threatened and intimidated, forcing her to withdraw the case. “It’s not even a year after that assault, and today we mourn my daughter,” she said. “Had action been taken, my daughter would still be alive. There was a protection order in place, but because he is a cop, we must suffer.” During a bail application on September 27, Masindi was denied bail, and the case has been postponed to October 30, 2024, for further investigation.
