Boschkop man appears in court on attempted murder charge over alleged HIV infection

A 47-year-old man from Boschkop has appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on a charge of attempted murder for allegedly infecting his 38-year-old girlfriend with HIV after falsely claiming he was HIV negative.

In a statement on Tuesday the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said that the couple were in a relationship between October 2025 and June 2026. During that time, the accused allegedly misrepresented his HIV status to the complainant, telling her that he had tested negative.

The NPA alleges that on 26 June 2026, the complainant found antiretroviral (ARV) medication in the accused's bag and confronted him. He allegedly admitted that he was HIV positive and told her he had intentionally infected her because he did not want her to be with someone else.

On 25 July 2026, the complainant underwent an HIV test at a medical facility and was informed that she had tested positive. She reported the matter to police the following day, leading to the accused's arrest at the couple's residence.

The case was postponed to 3 August 2026 for the obtaining of bail information.

The accused remains in custody.