The Western Cape Division sitting in Knysna has sentenced four men to lengthy prison terms for their roles in the premeditated murder of a severely mentally disabled young woman, allegedly driven by the lure of funeral policy money, Cape {town} Etc reports.
The sophisticated plot was orchestrated by 36-year-old Mboneleli Msila, who, along with hitmen Mbulelo Jack, Monde Tshemese and Lungisile Lucas, executed a brutal assassination motivated by greed.
Msila and his wife adopted the victim, Nosipho Mafana, at the age of 11. The murderous scheme began to unfold in April 2021 when Mafana, under his directive, took out a R100 000 funeral policy with Standard Bank, which would pay out R200 000 in the event of an unnatural death. The beneficiary under this policy was none other than Msila himself.
In February 2022, the plot thickened as another R1 000 000 funeral policy was taken out with First National Bank (FNB), naming Msila’s sister-in-law, Nosiphiwo Koti Thomas, as the beneficiary. Not satisfied, Msila participated in amending a Capitec Bank policy to double the payout in case of accidental death, also making himself the beneficiary through his wife.
As the conspiracy progressed, Msila employed deceitful tactics to acquire a weapon. He commanded his nephew to obtain a firearm under the pretence of needing to protect his livestock and subsequently sought out his neighbour, offering R40 000 to kill Mafana. Fortunately, the proposed hitman declined the offer and refrained from alerting the authorities.
However, on the evening of April 30, 2022, Jack, Tshemese and Lucas entered the property at 15 Cuba Street in KwaNokuthula, Plettenberg Bay. Once inside, they found Mafana sleeping on a mattress. Jack identified her and Tshemese carried out the horrific act of shooting her 15 times, while Lucas remained outside on lookout duty.
Miraculously, two other young women who were nearby escaped without injury as the men fled in a getaway vehicle.
The conspiracy crumbled when a local tin collector witnessed the comings and goings of the hitmen and promptly reported the scene to a nearby investigating officer.
His recognition of the suspects and the chain of events offered the police the leads they needed to apprehend the criminals. Identifications through photographic line-ups confirmed their identities, sealing their fate in the courtroom.
The investigation revealed Msila’s attempts to collect on the policies following Mafana’s death. Although he filed a claim with Standard Bank, it was rejected due to the suspicious circumstances surrounding her killing. Conversely, FNB honourably paid out R200 000 to Msila’s sister-in-law, while Capitec Bank also provided the same sum to his wife.
Ultimately, justice was served. Msila and Tshemese received life sentences for their heinous crimes, while Jack and Lucas received 17 years each in prison.
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Picture: Unsplash
Source: NPA
