Multiple murder accused Nomia Ndlovu has been found guilty on all counts of murder.
BREAKING: Nomia Ndlovu found guilty!
“The following order is made. The accused is found guilty on Count 1 of murder of Madala Homu, 2, murder of Audrey Ndlovu, 3 – Hangwani Mabasa, 9 – Zanele Motha, 10 – Mayeni Mashaba and 12 – Brilliant Mashego.” #SABCNews #rosemaryndlovu pic.twitter.com/Pg1iqCrUud
— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) October 22, 2021
Ndlovu has also been found guilty attempted murder on her mother, crime of incitement, defeating the ends of justice and fraud.
The accused is also found guilty on count 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 “that is of defeating the ends of justice, fraud on Clientele, One Life, Assupol, and Old Mutual” insurance companies.” #SABCNews #rosemaryndlovu pic.twitter.com/6kmhwXNIuP
— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) October 22, 2021
Judge Ramarumo Monama, who will soon be retiring, pointed out that the state had relied on circumstantial evidence and similar facts to link Ndlovu to the murders.
Dealing with similar facts, the judge says, “Madala Homu’s policy was for unnatural death. Even that of Audrey Homu was also for unnatural death. And the person to benefit is the accused.” #SABCNews #rosemaryndlovu pic.twitter.com/Oho05VpaPj
— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) October 22, 2021
“The evidence before me is that the people who were in the car to Mpumalanga and Phomolong, the instruction was clear, ‘do not use guns.’The instruction to those on the way to Mpumalanga was to burn the people and not used guns. That’s unnatural deaths.” #sabcnews #rosemaryndlovu pic.twitter.com/5gz9KxqBFB
— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) October 22, 2021
The murders Ndlovu has been found guilty of:
- Witness Madala Homu in March 2012, cashing in R131 000 from insurance policies;
- Sister Audrey Ndlovu killed in 2013, cashing in R717 000;
- Boyfriend Morris Mabasa murder, cashing in R416 000;
- Niece Zanele Motha who died in June 2016, cashing in R120 000 from the insurance;
- Mayeni Mashaba who died in 2017;
- Mashego who was murdered in January 2018
The judge began proceedings on Friday morning by noting that in the last 89 years the country had not experienced anything like the case against Ndlovu referencing the 1932 murder case of nurse Daisy de Melker accused of poisoning her two husbands for policies, and also being found guilty of the murder of her son.
The former police officer was arrested in 2018 following a sting operation which ultimately led to her being caught on camera while allegedly detailing what she wanted to be done by the alleged hitmen when they kill her sister Joyce and her five children.
During cross-examination, state prosecutor, Rianna Williams told the court that she was in possession of cellphone records, which proved that Ndlovu made multiple calls to two alleged hitmen, one of whom was an undercover police officer, known as Mr. Dlamini.
In a secretly recorded video, Ndlovu can be seen and heard telling Mr. Dlamini to burn Joyce and her five kids leaving behind no witnesses so that they could cash in on insurance policies.
However, she has previously told the court that everything she said in that video was something alleged hitman Vincent Kunene had told her to say so that Mr. Dlamini could provide transport to Bushbuckridge, knowing that he stood to benefit financially even though to kill was not the real intention of travelling to Mpumalanga.
“Before I got into the car, I had a short discussion with Vincent Kunene. Vincent told me what to say,” says Ndlovu.
During the trial Ndlovu told the court she had listed the family members in her insurance policies so that she would not be burdened in the event of their death as it had been the case before. The prosecution put it to her that, that could not have been the case, pointing to, among others, the evidence of Homu’s sister, Eva, who told the court that she only contributed R200 towards burial expenses, despite benefiting just over R131 000 in policy payouts following Homu’s murder.
Presenting closing arguments last week Thursday morning, the state sought to highlight the pattern in Ndlovu’s conduct in relation to the murders she is accused of to show that she had indeed registered failed members on insurance policies and later masterminded their murder in order for her to cash in on the policies.
She was also accused of the murder of boyfriend Maurice Mabasa. A policy on his life was taken out on 1 August 2015. He was murdered on 14 October 2015. Two weeks before the murder, Ndlovu call the insurance company to ascertain if his premiums were up to date.
The state accused Ndlovu of having “lied about her relationship with her cousin Madala Homu” whom she registered as “spouse on policy documents” in order to avoid having to pay premiums for him.
Homu was murdered in 2012.
During cross-examination, Ndlovu told the court that she had not intentionally done so, but that the mistake had happened on the side of the insurance company. The state rejected this.
The state has also accused Ndlovu of having “lied about Brilliant Mashego (sister’s son) as being her (own) son.”
The judge raised the issue of cultural relations where the sister’s son could be referred to as “son”. But the state has argued that “In culture, my lord, but if you complete documents that you sign (you cannot be using culture).”
