The Star E-dition

Mastermind of baby Jordan murder earns degrees in jail

GENEVIEVE SERRA genevieve.serra@inl.co.za

EIGHTEEN years after Dina Rodrigues planned the murder of six-monthold baby Jordan-leigh Norton, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has confirmed she will be eligible for a parole hearing in eight years.

Rodrigues was convicted of masterminding the murder along with Zanethemba Gwada, Bonginkosi Sigenu, Sipho Mfazwe and Mongezi Bobotyane

Gwada and Bonginkosi were granted parole in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

The Norton family declined to comment on the parole proceedings.

Spokesperson for the DCS Singabakho Nxumalo said Rodrigues’ hearing would take place on

December 27, 2031.

A source who recently visited Pollsmoor Prison where Rodrigues is presently imprisoned revealed the brunette has become a hairdresser behind bars and is cheerful.

“She does everyone’s hair there in Pollsmoor,” said the woman, who cannot be identified.

“She looks good and healthy,” she said.

Rodrigues was moved from the Worcester Female Prison to Pollsmoor.

While behind bars Rodrigues completed her degree in education in 2012 and became a teacher at the Worcester Female Prison.

In 2013 she graduated along with 159 inmates with computer literacy and life skills training at Pollsmoor Prison.

She was also awarded a Bcom degree in 2008 and received a diploma for basic education in 2010.

Jordan-leigh was killed inside her home in Lansdowne on June 15, 2005.

Rodrigues had hired the men, who pretended to be from a courier company, and offered them R10 000 for the murder.

Rodrigues had been dating Jordanleigh’s father, Neil Wilson.

She explained that she couldn’t accept the fact of the child’s existence, had imagined the infant’s demise and had confessed via the affidavit to hiring someone to kill the baby.

She added she had told Wilson she had paid R10 000 to make the problem go away and that he was deeply shocked, and that she later realised the evil she had done.

The trial carried on for 15 months and Rodrigues , Mfazwe and Bobotyane were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Meanwhile, the DCS has remained mum on Najwa Petersen’s parole hearings which took place in November 2022.

The DCS previously said she would be eligible for parole in November 2022.

Petersen was sentenced to 28 years after being convicted of being the mastermind behind the murder of her husband, singer Taliep Petersen.

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2023-03-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thestar.pressreader.com/article/281706913930959

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