EAST LONDON – Vuyokazi Fredy (39), the girlfriend of a late police officer, was convicted and sentenced by the East London Regional Court yesterday, 3 March, for murder.
Fredy was found guilty of killing her partner, Police Sergeant Arthur Lokwe (50), and perverting the course of justice.
According to Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana, Fredy has been remanded in custody ever since her arrest in June 2025, reflecting the gravity with which the matter was treated from the outset. “The deceased was a serving member of the South African Police Service (SAPS), stationed at Kwenxura.”
Mhlakuvana added that on the evening of 15 June 2025, Fredy and the deceased were at his residence in Kwenxura consuming alcohol. “An altercation ensued, culminating in the accused assaulting the off-duty Sergeant with a knobkerrie, which inflicted severe head injuries.”
He further stated that the injured policeman subsequently fell to the floor and the accused did not stop assaulting the officer. “The deceased’s acquaintance tried to intervene, but he was also beaten up by Fredy. The officer was assaulted until he was unconscious; that is when Fredy stopped,” he said.
Mhlakuvana said that in a calculated attempt to evade accountability, Fredy presented herself at Kwenxura SAPS on 16 June 2025, indicating that her partner had been unresponsive since the previous evening.
The matter triggered an immediate response from a multidisciplinary team comprising the East London Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation, Kwenxura SAPS, the Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC), Provincial Crime Management, and Provincial Crime Scene Investigation.
“Upon meticulous examination of the scene, investigators detected clear signs of interference and staging, fundamentally inconsistent with the version presented by Fredy,” he said. “The victim was discovered lying on his bed with multiple head wounds.”
Through rigorous scrutiny and analytical reconstruction of events, investigators dismantled the fabricated narrative and conclusively linked Fredy to both the fatal assault and the deliberate obstruction of justice, Mhlakuvana added.
“Fredy was sentenced to 15 years’ direct imprisonment, of which two years were suspended for five years on condition that Fredy is not convicted of murder or any offence of violence during the period of suspension. Fredy will serve a 13-year jail term,” Mhlakuvana concluded.
