Paul Prinsloo (62)

Paul Prinsloo (62) who is accused of shooting and killing his wife Magdaleen (58) and stepdaughter Ruzanne Wiedeman (31) in Kosmos in Hartbeespoort in November, allegedly told police three times he wanted to kill himself, the Brits Magistrates’ Court heard on Thursday.
Sergeant Gregory Kwadi testified that Prinsloo would be a danger to the public and himself if he were released on bail, as he had a history of violence.
Kwadi said Prinsloo allegedly told a friend Nico Pienaar, who was present on the day of the murders that he was going to shoot three people but did not say who they were.
“The accused, Pienaar, the two women and Ruzanne’s seven-year-old daughter were at the house during the incident. The accused grabbed a gun and shot Magdaleen and her Ruzanne. Pienaar grabbed the child and ran towards the gate. The gate was closed and he shouted at the accused to open the gate, which he did. Pienaar took the child to his house,” Kwadi testified.
Kwadi said the state is opposing bail as Prinsloo would be a danger to himself. “He told the investigating officer after the murders that he wanted to kill himself. He repeated it three times while he was crying. He would also be a threat to the family. There is an affidavit in the docket that during an incident in 2016, he threatened to shoot Magdaleen’s sister Nici Hanly and her 15-year-old son Jean.”
Kwadi said according to Magdaleen’s family, Prinsloo isolated her from her family for long periods. Her family would call her and she would not answer. She would also disappear from all social media platforms for months and they would not know where she was.”
He said Prinsloo was a hunter and had worked in Botswana and although his passport expired in 2023, he believed that Prinsloo could flee to Botswana.
Prinsloo legal representative Advocate Zirk Pansegrouw asked Kwadi if during his investigation he investigated anything that might be in favour of Prinsloo release on bail, upon which the state prosecutor Tshegofatso Masanganye objected and told the court that it was not the job of an investigating officer to investigate issues in favour of bail.
The bail hearing was postponed to 6 May 2024.