Females are finding themselves on the wrong side of the law when it comes to insurance murder cases.
Four accused are expected back before the Motherwell Magistrate’s Court in Gqebera, on November 25 for further investigations. They are facing serious charges in connection with murders allegedly linked to insurance payout schemes that have shaken the Dyakalashe Street community in Motherwell.
The accused, Andisiwe Siwe Zondani 32, Siphamandla Spa Matsha 29, Ayanda Akhanani Yeklea 29, and Siphokazi Mabuto 27, face a total of 17 charges, including six counts of conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of murder, five counts of attempted murder, and multiple counts related to the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
According to the allegations, Siphokazi Mabuto orchestrated the hits on her aunt, Kholelwa Mabuto, whom she referred to as her mother.
Kholelwa, an employee of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, had named Siphokazi as a beneficiary on her insurance policies.
On April 17, 2024, a shooting at the Mabuto family home in Motherwell left Kholelwa permanently blind and her brother, Thando Mabuto, injured.
Following the attack, Siphokazi’s boyfriend, Sicelo Manyashe, brought his sister, Thembakazi Manyashe, to assist in caring for Kholelwa.
A second tragic incident occurred on October 9, 2024, when a shooting took place at the same residence, this time in the presence of six family members. During the attack, Siyanda Mabuto and Sicelo Manyashe were fatally shot.
Eastern Cape National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said police investigations revealed that the crimes were allegedly motivated by a desire to claim insurance payouts and inheritance.
“The four accused were subsequently arrested and during their court appearance on Monday, they all abandoned their bail applications,” he said.
There are several such cases; recently, a Limpopo police officer Sergeant Rachel Shokane Kutumela is the third South African Police Service (SAPS) member nabbed in connection with insurance fraud. She is facing six murder charges and 12 others including defeating the ends of justice. Evidence shows she has pocketed at least R10 million.
According to investigations, she started her killing spree in 2019. Her victims were known to her and were from destitute and disadvantaged backgrounds, and some were disabled or mentally challenged.
This is reminiscent of the case of former police officer and convicted serial killer Nomia Rosemary Ndlovu, who orchestrated the murders of loved ones for payouts on insurance policies.
Crime expert and forensic investigator Calvin Rafadi said insurance companies are failing the people since perpetrators are using the same modus operandi.
He said the way that they run the business is like a numbers game; the more clients they have, the more money they make.
“They need to help us in this space, they need to apply business intelligence, they need to have systems whereby not only do they accept documentation when people are insured in a life cover, they need to have a biometric system that the other party should put their fingerprints so that they can give consent via a biometric to the person who has been insured on a life cover. They are failing us because they are playing the numbers game,” said Rafadi.
He said family members ask for ID copies. They camouflage it as if they only insure it as a funeral policy and give them a dignified send-off.
Momentum Group head of Reputation, Aneke Hanekom, on “Newzroom Afrika”, recently said recent statistics from the Association for Savings and Investment South Africa (ASISA) indicated that there were 9 000 fraud cases that they prevented, which to her, is a high number.
The Star