Insurance was in good faith, out of love, says ex-cop

ALLEGED serial killer, ex-cop Rosemary Ndlovu, insured her relatives and boyfriend, whose mysterious and callous deaths brought her to the dock, out of sheer love.

Her counsel, advocate Vincent Soko, made this submission yesterday at the South Gauteng High Court, sitting at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court.

Judge Ramarumo Monama heard closing arguments in the drawn-out trial. This was a final hearing ahead of a verdict and it presented an opportunity for the State and defence to argue the strengths of their cases.

Ndlovu stands accused of ordering hits on relatives and a boyfriend for insurance payouts. She faces charges of five murders, conspiracy to commit murders, being an obstruction to justice and attempted murders.

The relatives she allegedly ordered hits onwere her sister Audrey Ndlovu, her nephews Mayeni Mashaba and Brilliant Mashego, her cousin Madala Homu and her niece Zanele Motha.

The lover was Maurice Mabasa, with whom she lived in Olifantsfontein, near Tembisa.

All five died brutally at the hands of unidentified killers. A common thread following their deaths was that Ndlovu received insurance payouts.

In his closing arguments, Soko sought to convince Judge Monama that it was further from the truth that his client insured any of the deceased for sinister motives. “The State in that count relies on the evidence of the witnesses from the insurance policies that the accused insured the deceased in order to benefit after the deceased had passed on,” he pointed out.

“However, the accused’s evidence (is that) she had taken numerous policies on behalf of her family members and extended family and all those policies were taken with good faith and out of love to cover the families when they passed on.”

But Judge Monama took Soko on, over the “love” submission. “Then let me engage you there, you say she did this out of the kindness of her heart?” he asked.

“But what was her response when she was asked why you didn’t pay the R100 000 that you received in respect of Madala Homu?”

Soko replied that Ndlovu testified that she gave Homu’s mother, Lucy Mushwana, R15 000 after the funeral.

But Judge Monama reminded Soko that Mushwana testified that she was never given the money and that Ndlovu only pledged it.

In conclusion, Soko submitted that the State had failed to bring any evidence that Ndlovu ordered the hits on any of the five deceased.

“I submit that the State has not provided enough facts to find the accused guilty of this,” Soko said. But the State maintained that it had brought sufficient and strong evidence to link Ndlovu to the killings.

“I humbly, respectfully submit (that) the evidence of the State witnesses was quite strong,” prosecutor Riana Williams told Judge Monama.

“The witnesses came here, some of them were police officers, some of them were neighbours.

“It’s a far-fetched theory from the defence side to think that the State would go to such a length to incriminate the accused, if the facts weren’t already placed there,” she added.

“In conclusion, the State will then request a guilty finding on all the counts as set out in the indictment. Judge Monama will deliver his verdict on October 22.