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A former South African police officer has been shot and killed as he was waiting to stand a trial in the North Gauteng Court in Pretoria for the alleged murder of his wife, Dawn Basdeo.
Prem Emmanuel Basdeo, 60, a former superintendent at Sydenham South Africa Police Service (SAPS) in Durban, was with his son, Jordan Basdeo, at the time of the shooting.
Albert Herman, his Legal Aid attorney, said the deceased’s son sent him a message at 1am on Monday to inform him of the incident.
“In the message to me, Jordan said his father was shot and killed. He was traumatised. I have not spoken to Jordan.”
Captain Kay Makhubela, a Gauteng police spokesperson, said on Sunday at about 4.45pm, police received a complaint of murder from Kalafong Hospital.
“On their arrival at Kalafong Hospital, police were pointed to the body of a 60-year-old man. Preliminary investigation revealed that the deceased was driving with a family member in Church Street, Elandsfontein, when they got a puncture. It is further alleged that while busy changing the tyre, a white Polo with an unknown registration number stopped behind them and two passengers approached them wearing masks.”
Makhubele said one of the suspects took out a firearm and pointed it at the men while the other suspect held the deceased from behind and demanded the car keys.
“The suspect shot the deceased and took an undisclosed amount of cash and cellphones before speeding off. A case of murder and armed robbery has been opened for investigation.”
Basdeo was on trial for killing his second wife, Dawn Basdeo, who went missing in 2018. Her body was never recovered.
At the time, Captain Colette Weilbach, a police spokesperson, said Dawn was last seen leaving her home in Brooklyn, Pretoria, on June 8, 2018, in her silver-grey 2007 Mercedes ML 63.
“It is alleged she was headed to a nearby hospital for blood tests but never arrived there. When she failed to return home, her husband reported her missing at the Brooklyn police station.”
Weilbach said Brooklyn detectives and members of the Pretoria K9 Unit found her car in Soweto two days after her disappearance.
During the police investigations, a bloodied knife and towel were found in the house Basdeo shared with his wife.
“Further investigation led to the arrest of Basdeo. When the trial started, he was also going to be charged with defeating the ends of justice and perjury because he was not truthful in his initial statement when he reported his wife as missing.”
It has been two years and Dawn’s body has still not been recovered. In a bid to get justice, her family started a Facebook page called Justice For Dawn. On Monday, they posted about Basdeo’s death.
The post read: “On what was to be Day 1 of the resumption of the trial; Prem Basdeo’s attorney contacted the prosecutor in the early hours of this morning to relay that his son Jordan had relayed to him that in the early hours of this morning, in an attempted hijacking and robbery, on their way back from Hartbeespoort in Attridgeville, Prem had been shot and killed.
“The matter has been postponed until Friday to accommodate the post mortem and a proper identification of the body.
“The family is shocked and in utter disbelief. A statement and further information will follow as soon as we are able to provide the same. Please continue to keep (her daughters) Denise, Diane, Dawn, and their families in your thoughts and prayers.”
Basdeo, formerly from Southgate, Phoenix, was previously charged with the murder of his first wife, Neetha.
In December 2000, Neetha’s body was found in a shipping container with a single gunshot wound to the head. They were living in the container with their son Jordan, who was 16 at the time, while their home underwent renovations.
Basdeo was acquitted of the charge in the Durban High Court in 2004. After his acquittal, he was re-instated in the SAPS.
He relocated to Gauteng where he married Dawn, who was a family friend. In 2016, he resigned to start a trucking business.
