A Soweto businessman accused of murdering his wife will have to wait until Wednesday to hear if he will be granted bail, after his matter was postponed. 

Sibusiso Abednego Nyembe, 51, appeared briefly in the Protea magistrate’s court on Monday and faces charges of murder and illegal possession of a firearm. 

He allegedly shot and killed his wife, Bangisile Nyembe, in their Mofolo home before fleeing the scene. He handed himself over to police later in the same day. 

Prosecutor Given Mbhedzi requested for the matter to be postponed until Wednesday as Nyembe’s lawyer was not present. 

Nymembe alleged that while preparing for work on the day of the murder, he and his wife had a heated argument. 

“On the day of the incident, we had a heated argument and I decided that it was best for the deceased to move out and live in our co-signed property. She refused and we had an argument. While removing her clothes I came across an object that looked like a firearm,” Nyembe said in his affidavit. 

“I asked her about it but she jumped up from the bed and we wrestled for the firearm until it went off and accidentally shot her.” 

He argued that he acted out of self-defence. 

However, the state presented a different version of events. 

Sergeant Tsakane Sithole testified that witnesses claimed that Nyembe entered the house in the morning and allegedly shot Bangisile before he left. 

Sithole further testified that the deceased had applied for a protection order against Nyembe on August 29, which prevented him from entering their home while she was asleep. 

The experienced detective read into record a statement that was made by a witness who was in the house when the shooting occurred. 

Sithole explained that she could not divulge the identity of the witness to the defence team at this stage. 

Sithole argued that she was against Nyembe’s release on bail because the couple were separated and he was served with a protection order. 

“The applicant [Nyembe] was seen by a community member entering the premises where the murder occurred. He allegedly entered the house, then returned to his car before going back into the house. The witness said he saw Nyembe exiting the house and driving off in his car,” she said.