Durban - A retired police woman who hired a hit on her boyfriend’s wife, has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Nomvula Zondwa, 57, Thamsanqa Hlamandana, 32, a traditional healer, and three hitmen Lwando Lengesi, 32, Ayabulela Mahokoto, 27, and Nkosinathi Junior George, 24, were this week sentenced in the Eastern Cape High Court on two counts of murder.
According to the NPA, Zondwa was in a long-term relationship with Mandla Toba.
However, according to evidence in court, Toba had married Cingiswa Mila, while still in a relationship with Zondwa.
“She (Zondwa) conspired with the sangoma to organise hitmen to kill the newly wedded wife and they all discussed the murder over a period and agreed to participate in it,” said NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali.
On the day of the murder, on April 11, 2020, the three hitmen travelled to the Toba family homestead in the rural Celetyuma Village, in the district of Peddie.
Mila and her mother-in-law Boniswa Toba had been in the home at the time.
“One of the hitmen remained in the motor vehicle while the two approached the homestead and gained access under false pretences.
“They subdued the two women, tied them up and stabbed them repeatedly,” Tyali said.
The trio then fled the fled the scene with certain low-value items, leaving a safe containing a firearm and a substantial amount of money untouched.
“The court found that the killers acted on a frolic of their own when they killed the elderly Toba, as that was not part of the initial plan, but they did it as she would have been able to identify them. However, they demanded and received additional money for the her killing.”
According to Tyali, two days after the murder Zondwa deposited an amount of R73 000 into the bank account of Hlamandana, who paid the hitmen.
“Police investigation led to the arrest of all five persons, and the court agreed with the submissions of State Advocate Louis Sinclair, that all of them played an equal role in the death of the deceased and that their actions are equally reprehensible. The crime could and would not have been committed if each one of them did not play his or her role.”
In addition to life sentences, the three hitmen were sentenced to an additional 22 years terms.
“The court ordered them to run concurrently with the life imprisonment term,” Tyali said.
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