Rosemary Ndlovu, co‑accused found guilty in murder‑for‑hire plot

Rosemary Ndlovu

Johannesburg – The Kempton Park Regional Court has found Rosemary Ndlovu and her co-accused, Nomsa Mudau, guilty of inciting someone to commit murder in a chilling insurance-related murder plot.

The pair appeared in court on Wednesday, where judgment was handed down following allegations that they conspired to kill Nomsa’s former husband, Justice Mudau, in 2018 in order to claim a substantial life insurance payout.

MDN News reported that the State presented that, the two women allegedly offered hitmen around R150,000 to carry out the murder, hoping to cash in on an insurance policy worth approximately R3 million.

However, the plan unravelled after one of the men approached to commit the crime chose instead to warn the intended victim.


Justice and Nomsa have since separated, with their divorce finalised in November 2021.

According to The Citizen, evidence presented before the court revealed how the alleged plot was set in motion. In July 2024, a witness named Mtshali testified that he had received a call from Lakhiwe Mkhize, who asked him to accompany him to meet Nomsa. It was alleged that Nomsa had obtained Mkhize’s contact details from Ndlovu.

Mtshali told the court that Nomsa complained about problems in her marriage, accusing her husband of cheating and frequently returning home late after visiting taverns. He further testified that she instructed him to shoot her then-husband at the gate of their home.

However, Mtshali said he and the others never intended to go through with the killing. Instead, they attempted to contact a police officer linked to Ndlovu’s earlier criminal investigation but were unable to do so because the officer was occupied with another matter at the time.

The group then allegedly decided to approach someone who spoke Venda so they could properly explain the danger to Justice Mudau. The murder plot was ultimately foiled after Mtshali warned him about what was being planned.

Both women pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Ndlovu is already serving six life sentences after being convicted in November 2021 for orchestrating the murders of several relatives and her lover in order to claim life insurance payouts. She was found guilty on six counts of murder, four counts of fraud, attempted murder and defeating the ends of justice.

In addition to her life sentences, she received:

  • Five years for defeating the ends of justice
  • Ten years for each fraud conviction
  • Ten years for each of the seven counts of incitement to commit murder
  • Ten years for attempting to murder her mother, Maria Mushwana

The National Prosecuting Authority confirmed that Ndlovu received more than R1.4 million in insurance payouts following the deaths of five relatives and her boyfriend over a six-year period between 2012 and 2018.

Picture: Screengrab

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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi

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