Multiple murder accused Nomia Ndlovu’s trial has been postponed to next week Monday. Ndlovu made a brief appearance at the Johannesburg High Court on Monday morning. This after matters were stood down on Monday afternoon after the accused complained of feeling dizzy and unable to continue with the trial.
Multiple murder accused, #NomiaNdlovu has just arrived in court. Proceeding are due to kick off at 9h15 but word has it the matter may be postponed to next Monday. #SABCNews pic.twitter.com/3lAJGUysdf
— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) September 21, 2021
The former police officer was arrested in 2018 accused of listing family members on insurance policies and later killing them to cash in on insurance policy payouts.
She has told the court she did so to avoid being burdened in the event one of them passed on as she had experienced it before.
Ndlovu is accused of the murders of Witness Madala Homu who was murdered in March 2012, cashing in R131 000 from insurance policies; Audrey Ndlovu killed in 2013 – Ndlovu cashing in R717 000; her boyfriend Morris Mabasa – cashing in R416 000; her niece Zanele Motha who died in June 2016 – cashing in R120 000; her nephew Mayeni Mashaba who died in 2017; as well as Mashego who was murdered in January 2018.
Audrey was found poisoned and strangled to death in her room in June 2013.
The day before she was found dead, Ndlovu had visited her and they had drunk tea together.
It is understood that upon arrival on the scene on the day Audrey was found dead, Ndlovu took cups she had used to drink tea with Audrey and washed them to tamper with evidence.
She has denied this.
“About the issue of the cup. I deny that I took the cups to wash them at the tap outside. I deny that.”
Ndlovu says when she was in Audrey’s room she leaned back against a cupboard, the cups fell and she picked them up and put them in a bucket.
There was a back-and-forth about the position of the cups she had used to drink tea with Audrey, with the state accusing her of changing her evidence over and over again.
She has admitted that the bucket was full of water.
“Yes, there was water in there. I realised there was water by the sound of cups as I put them in the bucket. I was leaving the room because I had noticed what was going on in that room and I didn’t want to be there anymore.”
She says she picked up the cups without giving it much thought as she was hysterical and crying.
“It was never in my mind to tamper with evidence. I was hysterical and crying.”
Previous witnesses who were on the scene disputed that she had been “hysterical or crying.” She says they couldn’t have seen her crying because they never entered the room with her.
The state reminded her of her previous testimony where she had stated that “I washed the cups, just for tidying up.”
It was at this point that Ndlovu complained about feeling dizzy and asking for a break. Subsequent to the break not much happened still as she continued to complain about not feeling well, prompting the judge to stand down matters for the day.
Last week, Ndlovu was taken up on the accusation that she had called an insurance company posing as Audrey to take up a life insurance policy – an accusation which was supported by the evidence of an audiologist who confirmed the voice on the call recording from the insurance company was indeed that of Ndlovu’s and not Audrey’s.
Ndlovu has denied this saying the voice on the recorded phone was not hers.
“I never took policies pretending to be Audrey. I just want to add this, my lord, my voice is very much similar to that of my sister’s. If she was here and she spoke, you’d swear it was me speaking,” she has told the court.
The former police officer was arrested in 2018, on accusations of listing family members on insurance policies and later killing them to cash in on policy payouts. She says she did so to avoid being burdened in the event one of them passed on as she had experienced it before.
Nomia Ndlovu | Cross-examination of the multiple murder-accused former police officer continues:
