EMPD constable sentenced for brutally killing cop wife, shooting four-year-old child
IPID says the 20-year sentence sends a strong message after EMPD constable Robert Ngobeni was convicted of murdering his partner and injuring a child.
Image: EMPD
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) has welcomed the 20-year prison sentence handed to Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) Constable Robert Ngobeni for the 2023 murder of his partner, Constance Phalane, and the attempted murder of a four-year-old child.
Ngobeni was sentenced in the High Court in Johannesburg to 15 years for murder and 15 years for attempted murder. The court ordered that 10 of the 15 years for attempted murder run concurrently with the murder sentence, leaving him with an effective 20 years behind bars.
According to Ipid, the incident unfolded on 21 September 2023 when two EMPD officers arrived at Ngobeni’s home in Lekaneng Section, Tembisa, to fetch him for work. They found the gate locked. A neighbour informed them he had heard gunshots coming from Ngobeni’s room the previous night.
The officers entered the premises by jumping the fence and noticed bloodstains outside the constable’s room. After a child gave them keys to unlock the burglar gate, they discovered Phalane’s body on the bed with multiple gunshot wounds.
A four-year-old child was also found with a gunshot wound to the upper right shoulder. Ngobeni was lying on the floor in a pool of blood with his service firearm nearby.
Emergency services transported both the child and Ngobeni to hospital, where the officer was treated under police guard. Ipid’s subsequent investigation revealed a history of domestic violence between the couple.
IPID spokesperson Lizzy Suping said the directorate welcomed the sentence, describing it as an important step in ensuring accountability for violence committed by law enforcement officials.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
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