A former police officer, who killed her family members for insurance claims with the help of hitmen, has been found guilty on six counts of murder.
Judge Ramarumo Monama found that Rosemary Ndlovu was responsible for the murders of her sister Audrey, Audrey’s son Brilliant Mashego, her lover Yingwani Mabasa, cousin Witness Homu, niece Zanele Motha, and another relative Mayeni Mashaba.
She was also found guilty of defeating the ends of justice by tampering with the scene of the crime where Audrey died.
Monama also convicted Ndlovu on four counts of defrauding Clientele Limited, 1 Life Insurance, Old Mutual and Assupol.
Further, Ndlovu was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder for trying to kill her sister Nomasonto, as well as seven counts of incitement to commit murder, and the attempted murder of her mother Maria Mushwana.
Ndlovu was paid more than R1.4 million in insurance payouts for her dead relatives.
Ndlovu, who worked at the Tembisa police station at the time of her arrest, was charged with six counts of murder, four counts of fraud, obstruction of justice, and eight counts of conspiracy to commit murder.
Her sister Audrey was strangled to death and Ndlovu received a R700 000 insurance payout.
Years later when Audrey’s son, Mashego, found out that Ndlovu had received money from insurance companies following his mother’s death, he confronted her and was brutally murdered.
The murder of Mabasa, her lover, saw Ndlovu pocket R416 357. Both Homu and Motha died from horrific injuries after they were brutally attacked, after which Ndlovu received R131 000 and R119 840 respectively in insurance payouts.
During the trial, the prosecutor produced evidence showing that Ndlovu had revealed that she had constantly communicated with the hitmen – Lakhiwe Mkhize and Njabulo Kunene.
[Photo: Itumeleng English/APA]