When the wife of a police officer was arrested in connection with the murder of her policeman husband, it shocked even the most hardened police officers. Her arrest, along with a man who actually carried out the killing, has left many people (including family and friends) baffled.

The real motive behind the killing will only really be known once the court case begins.

It is strongly believed that the killer and the wife had an intimate relationship and, in fact, the man may have been her boyfriend.

The murder took place on Friday, May 23.

According to the wife, she and her husband, 50-year-old Warrant Officer Bongani Sibusiso Xaba, were travelling along Collings Pass near Elandslaagte. The 33-year-old wife claimed that the vehicle started giving problems and when her husband stopped to see what was wrong, two people appeared out of the bushes and attacked them.

Warrant Officer Xaba was severely beaten and two cell-phones were stolen.

When police initially arrived at the scene, the wife told them there was nothing wrong. It was only when they noticed blood did they search further, finding W/O Xaba lying under the vehicle in a pool of blood. He was rushed to hospital, where he died on June 22, almost a month later.

A case of murder was opened by Elandslaagte police.

W/O Xaba was employed at the Ladysmith Vehicle Identification Section (VIS).

Elandslaagte detectives found the wife’s story to be implausible and soon linked her to a 29-year-old man (believed to be her boyfriend) who they believe murdered her husband.

So the ‘attack’ on the couple was not a random act of violence (as the wife claimed) or an opportunistic act, but a carefully planned, cold-blooded murder.

Cell-phone records also link the wife to the killer.

On Monday this week, the 29-year-old ‘hit-man’ was arrested in Roosboom and W/O Xaba’s wife was arrested soon afterwards in Steadville by Elandslaagte Detective Services, assisted by the Ladysmith K9 Unit and the Ladysmith Cluster Trio Crime Task Team.

During the arrests, the cell-phones she claimed had been stolen were recovered.

Both suspects will appear in court today (Wednesday) facing charges of murder.