Murder for money? Accused back in court

Update

GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - The two accused in the murder of the 66-year-old Mynhardt Maloyi, Nomphelo Maloyi and Lwazi Kay, will appear in court again tomorrow, Friday 19 January.

The case was referred to the High Court on 9 January as the final investigation report stressed the serious nature of the case.

It is alleged that Nomphelo Maloyi approached Lwazi Kay to kill her uncle, Mynhardt, because she wanted an insurance policy payout that she had taken out on his life. Kay agreed to do this after Nomphelo promised to pay him R20 000 as soon as she received the payout.

He was supposed to kill Mynhardt on 23 November but, since he had difficulty finding the house, it was not done.

On the evening of 24 November Maloyi and Kay, both dressed in black, headed to her uncle's house together. It is alleged that Mynhardt was expecting Nomphelo's visit. When he opened the door the duo entered his house and tied him to a chair. The state says Nomphelo stabbed Mynhardt with a knife and then handed the knife to Kay to "finish the job".

Recent insurance fraud murder fear

After the arrest in November 2022, many allegations relating to insurance murders started doing the rounds. Based on this, the children of a resident of Aberdeen now say they are disturbed by the sudden passing of their 64-year-old father, particularly since they are aware that an unrelated individual known to them has taken out an insurance policy on his life without permission.

The deceased passed away on 30 December last year and was laid to rest on 6 January. According to the deceased's children, this individual already attempted to gain access to the documentation required for the insurance policy claim.

For this reason, they expressly indicated that they have not given permission to anyone to obtain any of their father's documentation or to submit any claim for any funeral or life insurance policy that was taken out for their father.

Insurance murders increase

During the release of the Eastern Cape crime statistics for the fourth quarter on 9 June last year, the Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nomthetheleli Mene, stated that there is a need for the police and other pertinent stakeholders to intensify their efforts against hit murders motivated by the desire to benefit from insurance companies.

After the arrest of seven suspects allegedly involved in a series of hit murders in Zwelitsha last year, Mene indicated that these murders had been driven by the motive to claim insurance payouts.

The arrests were made after more than ten months of intense investigations by Queenstown Murder and Robbery and the Cradock Commercial Crimes Investigation Unit, that linked the syndicate to numerous hit killings in Kwadwesi, Kwanobuhle, Despatch, Whittlesea and Kamesh.

The suspects, aged between 40 and 52, who were connected to these cases through ballistics and insurance policies, now face charges of at least 11 murder cases of which two are double murder cases in Kwanobuhle, as well as racketeering and fraud relating to the several insurance claims that were submitted.

"These killings strike at the heart of community safety," she stated. "The arrests mark the beginning of our fight against organised crime, and I am convinced that it will open doors for more arrests, dismantling criminal networks that threaten our communities."

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