This week, the man accused of shooting and killing the City of Cape Town’s first black female scientific officer appeared in the Western Cape High Court.
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Ivan Magokane stands on trial for the murder of Mpharu Hloyi, the first black female scientific officer of the scientific services unit of the Athlone water and waste treatment plant in Cape Town, and the attempted murder of three of Hloyi’s colleagues.
The incident occurred on 28 March 2022.
Dr Shirley Malema, a chief scientific officer, testified on Wednesday on the events of that day and what led up to it.
As per News24, Malema and Magokane were engaged and had a son together. However, Malema’s testimony suggests she believed the relationship was over due to Magokane’s short temper, aggression, verbal abuse, and physical violence.
Holding a PhD in biotechnology and securing a position at the University of Cape Town in 2020, Malema moved to Mpumalanga during the COVID-19 lockdown to be with Magokane. She later returned to Cape Town for her job with the City.
Malema said the family travelled together between Mpumalanga and Cape Town, and over time, she and Magokane would regularly argue.
She added that she became anxious and began to ‘disengage’, which she hid from her son and oldest daughter.
Complicating matters even more, Magokane began unexpectedly visiting Cape Town, intensifying an already tense relationship.
On one occasion, she said, he arrived late at her complex and allegedly placed two bullets in her hand, saying: ‘These are for you’.
On another occasion, Malema discovered him sleeping in his car parked next to hers at work. She sent him a long WhatsApp message, telling him that she thought it was time to end the relationship. ‘I believe you don’t want to marry me anymore but won’t say it,’ she wrote.
In court, she said he questioned her on this and warned her that ‘things won’t end well’.
Malema further stated that Magokane attempted to persuade her to join a family meeting in Mpumalanga on 26 and 27 March 2022 to discuss their relationship but she chose not to attend. The shooting incident took place the day after the scheduled meeting.
Before the incident, Malema had instructed the security guards to say she wasn’t there if a man arrived unannounced for her. She gave them the description of his car. She also stopped parking in her usual spot in front of the building and parked in the back.
‘I thought that if he came and didn’t see my car, he would leave,’ she said.
However, on the day of the shooting, Magokane arrived in a different car and security did not recognise him. Furthermore, he asked for Hloyi at reception and not Malema.
During her testimony, Malema said she received a call from Hloyi while preparing for meetings. Hloyi informed her that she was still on her way to work, and reception had called her, stating that a man in the reception area wanted to see her.
Although hesitant to reveal his identity at first, Magokane eventually told Hloyi that he was Malema’s partner and that they were experiencing difficulties in their relationship.
Malema stated that she had informed Hloyi about Magokane’s violent tendencies and the ongoing problems in their relationship, to which Hloyi responded by saying that she would talk to him and recommend counselling.
Malema further stated that she locked herself in her office and called her brother. ‘I told him Ivan is here without telling me again.’
She also contacted her father, a female colleague, and a friend of Magokane. ‘After that, I decided to call the police,’ she said. ‘I googled the Athlone police station number, and a lady answered. I told her my partner had arrived at work unannounced, and we had relationship issues.
‘I told her he owns a gun, but I am not sure if he is armed. I also said they must send the police to come and disarm him if he is armed. She said she would send someone.’
While waiting in her office for the police, Malema received a message from Hloyi. ‘Can you come to the office?’ She said she asked her whether Magokane had his gun with him, and Hloyi said yes.
Hloyi informed Malema that Magokane had given her his gun because he assured her that only used it for protection while travelling and that she had hidden it behind her chair. She added that he told her about the family meeting and wanted to know when she would have leave.
Malema said she went to Hloyi’s office and sat down on the couch. ‘My coping mechanism was to keep quiet.’ She WhatsApped her brother to phone the police again because they had still not arrived by that time.
‘Then my manager said: ‘Why is she [Malema] looking scared? I can recognise the symptoms of GBV when I see them’.
She says Hloyi asked her who to call because she didn’t know what to do. They allegedly called Malema’s father, who told Hloyi: ‘Tell him to come back home.’
Hloyi also offered to call Magokane’s doctor after he told her that he was depressed. However, when Malema informed Magokane that she had called the police to take away his gun, he calmly stood up, pretended to leave, and then suddenly reached for the firearm behind Hloyi’s chair.
She testified that as she fled the office, she heard gunshots, then her colleagues screaming and running down corridors. She then hid in a toilet cubicle.
She added that when the police arrived, two officers had to coax her out of the cubicle. They also informed her that Magokane had escaped and that Hloyi had been fatally shot.
According to Malema, the police then contacted the Table View police station. Officers fetched her children from their schools to keep them safe until the danger had passed.
Ultimately, Magokane turned himself in. He was charged with murder and three counts of attempted murder. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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Picture: City of Cape Town