Sentencing delay for pastor, his wife and hitman found guilty of R3m insurance payout murder

Pastor Melisizwe Monqo and his wife, Siphosihle Pamba. Picture: Supplied

Pastor Melisizwe Monqo and his wife, Siphosihle Pamba. Picture: Supplied

Published Nov 16, 2021

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Cape Town - Sentencing proceedings were postponed at the circuit court in George, where convicted killers Melisizwe Monqo, Siphosihle Pamba and Phumlani Qusheka were charged with the murder of Hlompho Mohapi (Koloi).

The three were convicted in September of killing Mohapi in order to benefit from a R3 million life insurance policy they had taken out on her behalf and without her knowledge.

In September the court convicted Monqo (a pastor), his wife Pamba and a hitman, Qhusheka, on charges of kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances and Mohapi’s murder.

They were also convicted of defeating or obstructing the course of justice.

The three were also convicted on charges of housebreaking in order to commit murder, the attempted murder of Nomfundiso Booi, illegal possession of a firearm and illegal possession of ammunition. They were also convicted of the conspiracy to murder Booi.

The postponement of the case occurred after the court heard impact reports related to Mohapi’s family and the minor children of the three defendants as presented by social workers.

This case involves a scam where Monqo, a pastor at God’s Work International Ministries and Pamba took out life insurance policies on behalf of church members and, together with Qhusheka, planned their murders in the hope of benefiting from the payouts.

Apart from Mohapi’s life insurance policy, they also procured life policies on behalf of Nomfundiso Booi, Anelisa Xhotyeni and Bulelwa Sihawu – all of whom were unaware that such life policies had been taken.

Pamba made the calls, pretending to be the woman, and the court heard from NPA prosecutor Evadne Kortje that the scam had gone well until the afternoon of July 5, 2018 when a lone fisherman, Francois Gerber, on his way to fish at Herolds Bay, found Mohapi’s body lying on the side of a Voëlklip gravel road.

He contacted the police who started their investigation on why a body of a smartly dressed had been dumped on the side of a deserted gravel road.

Advocate Kortje said the state would ask for maximum sentences when sentencing proceedings resume.