Sentencing for stepdad who hired three hitmen to shoot disabled daughter 15 times
Nomdundu Mafani, a 23-year-old disabled woman from Kwanokuthula, was murdered in a premeditated hit orchestrated by her adoptive father for insurance payouts. The State is seeking life sentences for the four men convicted in connection with her killing.
A man who hired three hitmen to kill his disabled daughter for an insurance payout is expected to be sentenced in the Western Cape High Court on Wednesday morning.
Nomdundu Mafani, 23, a disabled woman from Kwanokuthula in the Western Cape, was shot 15 times in April 2022.
Her stepfather, Mboneleli Msila, and hitmen Mbulelo Jack, Monde Tshemese, and Lungisile Lucas were convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, premeditated murder, and two counts each of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
Mafani, who was adopted by Msila when she was 11 years old, had been asleep when she came under fire.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the Western Cape said it would be arguing for the men to receive a life sentence.
The State said the murder was premeditated and greed-motivated killing.
NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said Msila and his wife had taken out policies on their stepdaughter's life with a combined value of R600 000.
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The Citizen
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- The Citizen
Four men sentenced for insurance policy murder of disabled woman
Nosipho Mfana was murdered in her sleep by a hitman hired to help her adopted father cash in on funeral policies. Four men have been given lengthy prison sentences for their role in a plot to murder a disabled woman for monetary gain. The quartet were convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and premediated murder following the 2022 death of 23-year-old Nosipho Mfana in KwaNokuthula near Plettenberg Bay. Mfana was murdered in her sleep after her adopted father hired men to kill her in order to collect funeral policy payouts. Hired gunmen Mboneleli Msila and his wife — who was not implicated in the murder plot — adopted Mfana in 2010 when she was 11 years old. The court described Mfana as 'severely mentally disabled', and explained how in 2021 Msila began assisting her in taking out separate funeral policies at three different banks. Each policy would pay out R200 000 in the event of Mfana's death, with Msila, his wife and his sister-in-law the designated beneficiaries. The court heard how Msila and his accomplices then 'put together a well-planned assassination with clearly identified roles for each of the accused, which was driven by greed'. Msila hired Monde Tshemese, Lungisile Lucas and Mbulelo Jack to kill Mfana at Msila's home in KwaNokuthula. On 30 April 2022, Mfana was one of three women sleeping on the lounge floor of their home while Msila slept in another room. Lucas kept watch outside the dwelling while the other two entered — Jack pointing out which of the three women was Mfana, after which Tshemese shot her 15 times. One of three claims rejected The three men fled in a getaway vehicle without taking anything from the home and the two women sleeping near Mfana escaped without injury. Following the incident, Msila submitted the insurance claims, with two of the three paying out the full R200 000. The policies where his wife and sister-in-law were the beneficiaries granted the claims, but the policy where Msila was the beneficiary did not, as the circumstances and cause of death became subject to investigation. Police were tipped off by a man who was collecting scrap near Msila's home on the evening of the murder. 'The plan fell apart when a tin collector observed the three men when they entered the yard. He knew the three men as they lived in the area. He also observed the men leaving the house after numerous shots were fired,' explained Western Cape NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila. Life and 17-year sentences The four men were sentenced by the Western Cape High Court sitting in Knysna on Friday. Msila and Tshemese were given life sentences for conspiracy to commit murder and premeditated murder, while Tshemese was given an extra five years for possession of an unlicensed firearm. Lucas and Jack each received 17 years behind bars for their role in the plot. 'The cruelty accused one showed in putting together the assassination plan, her funeral policy money and the participants in that plan for their greedy benefit is indicative of the sick society we live in,' said Ntabazalila. NOW READ: Hawks and NPA explain why corruption investigations and prosecutions take long
IOL News
4 hours ago
- IOL News
Stepfather plotted murder of disabled daughter for insurance payout - gets double life sentence
Nosipho Mafana, 23, was brutally murdered in her sleep by hitmen hired by her adoptive father in a calculated plot to claim over R600,000 in funeral. policy payouts. Image: Supplied A Western Cape stepfather who hired hitmen to kill his adopted daughter has been sentenced to life imprisonment. The High Court of South Africa: Western Cape Division sitting in Knysna convicted and sentenced Mboneleli Msila, who masterminded the plan to kill his disabled daughter so that he could benefit from three funeral policies amounting to R600,000. The victim, 23-year-old Nosipho Mafana, was shot 15 times in April 2022. She was adopted by Msila and his wife when she was 11 years old. Msila hired hitmen Mbulelo Jack, Monde Tshemese, and Lungisile Lucas to carry out the hit. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said Msila received a double life sentence- one for murder and the other for conspiracy to commit murder. Tshemese, who carried out the hit, also received two life sentences, as well as five years for illegal possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition. Jack and Lucas were sentenced to 17 years' direct imprisonment for conspiracy to commit murder and a further 17 years for murder. The court ordered their sentences to run concurrently, meaning they will each serve 17 years effectively. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the court found that the group had orchestrated a detailed plan, assigning specific roles to each man in a plot fuelled by greed and financial gain. "The well-orchestrated plan began in April 2021, when Mfana, under Msila's instruction, took out a R100,000 funeral policy with Standard Bank. The policy would pay out R200,000 in the event of an unnatural death. Msila was the beneficiary of this funeral policy," said Ntabazalila. In February 2022, another policy worth R200,000 was taken out with FNB, this time with Msila's sister-in-law listed as the beneficiary. A third policy with Capitec was also increased from R50,000 to R100,000 in March 2022, with his wife as the beneficiary. To execute the killing, Msila first approached his neighbour, offering him R40,000 and a firearm to commit the murder. When the neighbour declined, Msila turned to his nephew and three accomplices, Jack, Tshemese, and Lucas. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading On the night of April 30, 2022, the men entered Msila's property at 15 Cuba Street, KwaNokuthula, Plettenberg Bay. Jack and Tshemese entered the lounge where Mafana was sleeping on a mattress next to two other young women. Jack identified Mafana, and Tshemese opened fire, shooting her 15 times. Lucas stood guard outside. "The plan fell apart when a tin collector observed the three men when they entered the yard. He saw Lucas standing guard in the yard, and the other two men entered the house. He knew the three men as they lived in the area. He saw flashes of light like firecrackers from the house," said Ntabazalila. "He also observed the men leaving the house after numerous shots were fired. He reported the shooting incident to the investigating officer, whom he knew. He identified Jack and Lucas through a photographic identification exercise. He also took the investigating officer to Tshemese's residence and pointed him out." Msila submitted a claim to Standard Bank following Mafana's death, but the payout was blocked pending an investigation. However, FNB and Capitec paid out R200,000 each to Msila's sister-in-law and wife. Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Adv. Nicolette Bell commended the prosecution team and the police for their work, calling the crime 'barbaric.' 'The cruelty accused one showed in putting together the assassination plan, her funeral policy money, and the participants in that plan for their greedy benefit is indicative of the sick society we live in,' said Ntabazalila. 'Our responsibility is to live up to the challenge and ensure that we send each accused who is involved in such barbaric plans to prison for a long time.' IOL News
IOL News
5 hours ago
- IOL News
Kraaifontein man sentenced to life for killing two police officers
Sergeant Mnakwazo Welcome Mdoko, and Constable Mninawa Breakfast were killed in Kraaifontein. Image: Supplied A man who gunned down two police officers during a patrol in Kraaifontein has been sentenced to two life terms and 47 years in prison. Mxoleleni Sikhahla, 36, was convicted in the Western Cape High Court for the February 2021 killings of Sergeant Mnakwazo Mdoko and Constable Mninawa Breakfast. The sentence was handed down on Wednesday, June 19, 2025, following Sikhahla's conviction on nine of 10 charges. The murders took place in the early hours of February 28, 2021, when Sergeant Mdoko, 44, and Constable Breakfast, 32, were ambushed while on patrol in Nondakuthini Street, Bloekombos. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading Warrant Officer Zinzi Hani, spokesperson for the Hawks, said the officers were seated in their patrol vehicle when they were attacked. 'They were fatally shot while in their patrol vehicle,' Hani said. 'It was further reported that Mdoko and Breakfast were declared dead on the scene and their official firearms were robbed in the early hours of 28 February 2021.' The officers were ambushed at about 1.25am, according to the investigation. Sikhahla was found guilty on two counts of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, three counts of possession of a prohibited firearm, and contravention of the Firearms Control Act. He was acquitted on one charge of attempted murder. The court ordered that the sentences on all counts except the first would run concurrently with one of the life sentences, resulting in Sikhahla effectively serving life imprisonment. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm. The attempted murder charge arose from the shooting of a woman who was also in the police vehicle during the incident. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said she was shot in the head and initially not accounted for. 'Please note that the attempted murder charge against Mxoleleni Sikhhala relates to a woman who was shot in the head. She was also in the police van,' he said. A police source close to the investigation said the woman's presence only became known later. 'When cops arrived in Phumla Street, there were only two occupants in the van. 'There was a trail of blood, and at the time, no one suspected that there was a person there. It was only discovered about a day later that there was a woman who was also shot during the incident.'
