The wife of murdered Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) officer Banele Skosana, who was shot and killed by two men while opening his tuck-shop in KwaThema, Ekurhuleni, on February 7, has denied orchestrating his killing, suggesting that foreign spaza shop owners might be responsible.

On Thursday, Sibongile Dlamini, during her bail application at the Springs Magistrate's Court, alleged that the hit could have been the work of foreign national spaza shop owners who have been recently evicted from their business premises in the area of Kwa-Thema.

Reading from her statement, Dlamini's legal representative, Ephraim Thalane, argued for her bail application, adding that the 42-year-old denies any involvement in the murder of her husband as on the day of the murder, she was out at the mall.

"On the 7th of February 2025 in the morning, the deceased was shot by unknown persons at our spaza shop in Kwa-Thema while I was attending the delivery of stock, and he sustained fatal injuries. At the time of the incident, I was at the mall.

"I then rushed to Kwa-Thema and found law enforcement managing the scene, and I was ushered into the house.

"The police later asked me if I knew of any enemies the deceased might have and I said none except that there is a general rumour that Pakistani nationals are hiring hitmen to fight back after being evicted out of Kwa-Thema," she said.

Furthermore, Dlamini, who had been briefly married to Skosana, claimed that officers stripped and humiliated her during a four-hour ordeal.

"I was ordered to take off my skirt and underwear and made to wear a nappy...One officer sat on top of me, covered my head with an evidence bag in an attempt to suffocate me, while he continued to slap me," she added.

Early this month, IOL reported that Banele’s sister and family spokesperson, Sindi Skosana, told members of the media that she disapproved of the toxic nature of the relationship that has caused her brother’s death.

Skosana revealed that her brother had reported incidents of verbal and physical abuse he had endured at the hands of the mother of his child, "who had been his wife for two months until the first attempt on his life through a failed food poisoning incident last month".

Meanwhile, the alleged hitman, Nhliziyozabantu Makwanyana, abandoned his bail application.

The pair was charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The matter has been postponed to March 4, to allow the State to make its response to the application.

siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za