A woman and her former lover have been sentenced to life imprisonment for orchestrating the murder of her husband in a carefully planned killing motivated by financial gain.
Noxolo Nokuzola Nxilolo (50) and Mzamo Ciko (42) were sentenced by the Burgersdorp High Court in Eastern Cape for the murder of Sindezama January Nxilolo, a traffic officer and moneylender who was killed in July 2017.
Insurance killings scourge
This sentencing came as Eastern Cape was identified as an epicentre for fraudulent insurance killings.
The province has seen a surge in incidents where individuals are murdered by syndicates or family members specifically for life insurance payouts.
The court heard that the murder took place on July 3, 2017 in Eureka, Burgersdorp.
At the time of the murder, Noxolo was married to the deceased since 2002 and they had no children.
Illicit affair
Evidence presented during the trial revealed that Noxolo frequently travelled to Western Cape for fertility treatment, where she met Ciko. Their relationship developed into a romantic affair while both were still married.
Ciko’s marriage later ended after his wife discovered the relationship.
According to the state, the pair conspired to murder Sindezama so that Noxolo could benefit financially.
The court heard that she stood to lose certain financial benefits if her husband had divorced her.
Murder conspiracy
To execute the plan, the pair hired two men from the Western Cape to carry out the killing.
One of the hired killers, Lungile Ntungwana (44) later reported the crime to authorities.
He subsequently pleaded guilty to his role and was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment in September 2021, while the second suspect remains at large.
The court heard that Ciko sourced two firearms and transported the hired killers from the Western Cape to Burgersdorp.
He also showed them the location of the victim’s home.
Noxolo’s role was to inform the conspirators when her husband was at home.
After receiving a call from her confirming the victim’s presence at the house, Ciko drove the hired killers to the area after nightfall and dropped them off nearby.
Killers pounce
The assassins then phoned the victim under the pretext of requesting a cash loan and when he came outside to meet them, one of the men opened fire, fatally shooting him.
The attackers fled the scene shortly afterwards.
Following the murder, a whistleblower came forward with information which led to the arrest of the accused.
Both were released on bail while awaiting trial.
During sentencing proceedings, senior state advocate Sibusiso Mgenge argued that the killing had been meticulously planned and carried out solely for financial gain.
The court heard that after her husband’s death, Noxolo received more than R920 000 from his pension fund and about R320 000 from the sale of their house.
No remorse
Mgenge also submitted that Noxolo had shown no remorse and continued to deny any involvement in the murder despite overwhelming evidence.
The state proved that the accused acted with common purpose and had conspired to murder the deceased.
Both accused were sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and an additional five years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit murder. They were also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said the sentence demonstrated the justice system’s firm stance against premeditated and contract killings.
