Mpumalanga Police Officer Arrested for Murder; Wife Fatally Stabbed, Friend Severely Injured

A local police officer, Constable Lucky Maduna, 38, from Mpumalanga, South Africa, is in custody, following an incident that led to the murder of his wife, Nonkululeko, and the attempted murder of her friend earlier this week.

According to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), the tragic sequence of events unfolded at a tavern in Barberton in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Speaking on the incident, Robbie Raburabu, IPID spokesperson, detailed how Constable Maduna escalated from slapping his 28-year-old wife to a brutal assault, using a beer bottle as a weapon.

Raburabu stated that Maduna allegedly returned from his car with a whiskey bottle and continued his assault. The altercation ended in tragedy when the bottle broke and Maduna used the shards to stab his wife in the neck, leaving her motionless at the scene, where she later died.

A friend who valiantly tried to intervene was also stabbed and severely injured. The friend was later airlifted to the hospital for emergency medical attention.

Constable Maduna appeared in court on Wednesday and is currently keeping behind bars. His next court hearing, possibly for a bail application, has been scheduled for the 11th of October.