The trial of a Limpopo family accused of receiving about R10m in payouts after insuring people and having them killed has hit a snag. The lawyer of seven of the accused, Desmond Nonyane, said he would have to stop representing some of them due to a conflict that had arisen among the accused themselves. This conflict arose from conflicting statements given by the accused.
The accused, including Rachel Kutumela, her husband David Kutumela, and several relatives, appeared at the Polokwane high court on Monday. They face 54 counts, including nine of murder. Rachel Kutumela, a former police officer, is alleged to be the mastermind behind the scam. The accused obtained funeral policies on the lives of multiple individuals who subsequently died of unnatural causes shortly afterwards.
According to the indictment, the accused were related to some of the deceased and lawfully entitled to have insurance policies on their lives. However, in other instances, they misrepresented the facts regarding the nature of the relationship between them and the insured lives. They also impersonated the insured lives or those who had insurable interests on the insured lives to qualify for various policies.
The accused include Rachel Kutumela's brother William, who has since died behind bars. At his last court appearance, he was wheelchair-bound and trying to be released on bail. The other accused are Rachel Kutumela's husband David, daughter Florah Shokane Kutumela, sister Anna Shokane, brothers Thomas Shokane and Robert Shokane, as well as Damaris Selepe, Benedictor Mataba, and Martha Iris Ruiters.
Nonyane asked for a postponement due to the conflict among his clients, which was granted by Judge Francis Kganyago. However, the judge warned that there would be no more postponements. The conflict needs to be resolved before the trial can proceed. The accused will have to get a private attorney to represent them.
Mashudu Malabi, of the National Prosecuting Authority, said the trial cannot start until the conflict between the accused persons is resolved. He added that the accused persons have to get a private attorney so they can be represented. The case has been postponed to a later date.
The alleged scam involved insuring disadvantaged people in their community and having them killed shortly after. The accused then collected about R10m in insurance payouts. The trial is expected to continue once the conflict among the accused is resolved and they have obtained private representation.
Key points
- The accused face 54 counts, including nine of murder.
- The alleged scam involved insuring people and having them killed for R10m in payouts.
- The trial has been postponed due to a conflict among the accused.
