Cop Boyfriend of Slain Gauteng Traffic Warden Chesnay Keppler Makes 1st Court Since Hospital Release

• An officer accused of killing his Gauteng Traffic Warden girlfriend has been discharged from hospital
• Sergeant Mandla Buthelezi appeared in the Protea Magistrate's Court, where the case was postponed
• The matter will return to court on Wednesday, 26 February 2025, while Buthelezi remains in custody

SOWETO — The police officer charged with killing a Gauteng Traffic Warden in Eldorado Park, Johannesburg, appeared briefly in the Protea Magistrate's Court.

Mandla Buthelezi's first in-person appearance was on Monday, 6 January 2025, following his discharge from hospital.

Suspected killer cop appears in court

He had been admitted for treatment for a self-inflicted gunshot wound sustained when he tried to take his own life to evade arrest after firing multiple times through a window at his girlfriend, Chesnay Keppler's home, killing her.

The incident happened on 26 December 2024. Buthelezi, 42, appeared in court from the hospital four days later before the case was postponed.

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Keppler, 22, was subsequently laid to rest in Johannesburg South on 4 January. Provincial and local government officials, including Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, attended the funeral.

The court has since postponed Buthelezi's case to 26 February.

Watch a video of Buthelezi's appearance here.

The officer has been remanded in custody while the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) continues its investigation.

Eldorado Park police station commander Brigadier Mkhacani Maluleke said the officer allegedly shot and killed Keppler during a domestic dispute. She was off-duty when he and another constable went to where she lived on Smarag Street.

"He'd [reportedly] been drinking alcohol, and he forced [Keppler] with two of her friends into the state vehicle he was using. He allegedly assaulted them, but they overpowered him. They then ran into the house and locked themselves inside."

While one of her friends filmed the events, Buthelezi got his service pistol from the car and returned to the yard.

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Buthelezi, a sergeant who worked with Keppler at his police station, reportedly stood by the kitchen window and shot through it. Keppler, to whom he had reportedly previously been abusive, took multiple hits.

"He fired multiple times and, afterwards, fled the scene in the state car. [Keppler], on arrival at Baragwanath Hospital, was declared dead."

Metro officer dies at hands of lover

In related news, Briefly News reported that a Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) officer was allegedly gunned down by her boyfriend.

The man fled with her car, driving to Limpopo, after the incident at the woman's home in Lotus Gardens, Tshwane West, on 24 December 2024. Police later caught up, arresting him and charging him with murder.

Source: Briefly News