Police have arrested more relatives of former Limpopo police officer Rachel Shokane-Kutumela, as investigators tighten the net around what authorities believe is a sophisticated R10-million insurance murder scheme that targeted vulnerable people.
Six suspects were arrested during a coordinated operation in Moletjie village outside Polokwane and surrounding areas on Tuesday morning. The arrests form part of a broader probe into an alleged syndicate that investigators say orchestrated multiple killings in order to cash in on funeral and life insurance policies.
National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe told the media that police had obtained several warrants of arrest linked to the investigation.
Six arrest warrants
“Today we executed six warrants of arrest as the seventh one has not been successfully executed. The person has not handed themselves over to the police. We are still looking for the individual, believed to be the twin brother of Rachel Kutumela’s other brother,” said Mathe.
The arrests add to a growing list of suspects linked to the case that has shocked communities across Limpopo.
Kutumela, who was previously a sergeant in the South African Police Service, was first arrested in 2024. Her arrest was followed by that of her daughter, sister and elder brother, while investigators later linked other relatives and associates to the alleged scheme. Among those implicated are her husband, a cousin and a traditional healer, whom police believe played various roles in the operation.
Investigators suspect the group formed part of an 11-member syndicate that preyed on vulnerable and impoverished people, including individuals living with disabilities.
Syndicate preyed on vulnerable
According to police, members of the group allegedly gained the trust of their victims before persuading them to take out funeral or life insurance policies.
“We believe they were part of the 11-member syndicate that were involved in the insurance murder payouts in the Limpopo area. They were preying on the vulnerable and underprivileged. Some were disabled individuals. They would obviously win their trust. Some were working for the victims,” she said.
“They would make them take out funeral policies or insurance policies. Months later about 10 of them would be found murdered. More than R10-million so far has been paid out to Rachel and her accomplices.”
Police believe the alleged scheme involved carefully structured financial arrangements designed to conceal the movement of insurance payouts. Some suspects allegedly took out policies in their own names or on behalf of the victims and later transferred a portion of the money to other members of the syndicate.
“We do believe those that we have arrested those who benefitted. Some of them would take out the policies and they would receive the monies and then send more than half back to Rachel. Rachel would then distribute to others and so on. For now, we’ve got 10 in custody. One is still outstanding and we are still investigating,” she said.
Wider crackdown
The Limpopo arrests are part of a wider crackdown by a national police task team established to investigate a wave of suspected insurance-related killings across the country.
Mathe said investigators have already uncovered evidence linking a syndicate to multiple murders in the Eastern Cape and other provinces.
“We have established a task team that is solely involved in investigating such cases. They are now actively investigating about 62 cases. They have identified a syndicate in the Kariga policing precinct, where we have identified an 11-member syndicate that has been positively linked to 18 murder cases where people were murdered for insurance monies,” Mathe said.
She said police are also tracking suspects believed to be operating similar schemes in the Eastern Cape.
Another suspect in Gqeberha is allegedly linked to killing six people for funeral or life covers. Another suspect is also linked to 14 cases in various places in the Eastern Cape.
“The third individual is linked to about eight cases. The team is actively investigating the 62 cases (in total) that have been positively linked to those that would insure people for the sole purpose of killing them months later and benefiting from the cash payouts,” she said.
Authorities say the investigation remains active as detectives trace financial transactions and examine additional suspicious deaths that could be linked to the alleged syndicate.
The suspects arrested on Tuesday are expected to appear in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday on charges including murder, fraud and money laundering. Police have not ruled out further arrests as the probe continues.
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