The multiple murder trial against former police officer Nomia Ndlovu is currently under way at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court. This after the trial was abruptly adjourned on Thursday owing to the accused’s ill-health.
In a morning characterised by the Judge constantly reminding the accused to answer questions to avoid being seen as evasive, the prosecution kicked off proceedings by focussing on Ndlovu’s admission on July 21, 2021, to conspiracy to murder her sister, Joyce Ndlovu and her five children.
While Ndlovu admitted to remembering that admission, she was quick to point out that it was not an admission to commit murder, but to travel to Bushbuckridge together with Njabulo Kunene and Mr. Dlamini.
“I don’t remember conspiring with Mr Dlamini to kill anyone,” she says.
She says her reason for travelling to Bushbuckridge with the two men was to introduce Kunene to a traditional healer.
Ndlovu, who can be seen and heard in a video telling Mr Dlamini to burn Joyce and her five kids leaving behind no witnesses so that they could cash in on insurance policies, says everything she said in that video was something Kunene had told her to say so that Dlamini could provide transport to Bushbuckridge.
“Before I got into the car, I had a short discussion with Vincent Kunene. Vincent told me what to say,” says Ndlovu.
#NomiaNdlovu, however, remembers telling Mr. Dlamini to kill and burn people in Bushbuckridge but she says she did so because because before she got into the car, “I had a short discussion with Vincent Kunene. Vincent told me what to say.” #SABCNews #nomiarosemaryndlovu pic.twitter.com/bqckVsMiwp
— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) September 17, 2021
The former police officer has denied ever calling Joyce around the time of her travelling to Bushbuckridge to ask her to help her with the finding of a traditional healer.
However, the judge was quick to remind the accused that the charge was not whether she had contributed, but that she had killed people in order to cash in on the insurance policies.
The court also heard that the accused had made an offer of R15 000 towards Witness Homu’s 2012 burial, which the judge said he had found odd in that people do not make offers towards funeral but contributions.
The judge also said even if she paid any portion of the monies cashed in from insurance policies, it should not be regarded as a “contribution” since it was money intended for that purpose.
“Contribution is anything from your own pocket (beyond insurance policy payout).”
The accused insisted, all said and done, she had not killed anyone and was innocent, but the judge was quick to remind her that it was not up to her to determine, but only for her to give evidence.
