DURBAN - THE family of a Port Shepstone police officer who was killed by his wife, said the couple had a rocky relationship.
Nonkululeko Ngwabe, 46, was this week sentenced in the Pietermaritzburg High Court to 22 years’ imprisonment for killing her husband, Warrant Officer Thulani Ngwabe, 51.
His body was found on the railway lines near Port Shepstone Beach on November 3, 2019, with stab wounds.
Ngwabe’s cousin, Simphiwe Dlamini, said the couple had been married for more than 20 years and had marital issues, and that Ngwabe had allegedly filed for a divorce.
“Thulani had moved out of his family home twice. He complained about how his wife mistreated him,” said Dlamini.
Three months before his death, Ngwabe had allegedly returned home.
Dlamini said Ngwabe received a call from his wife to come to the beach, to talk things through.”
He said Ngwabe went to the beach. As he and his wife talked, three men approached them with a bottle of alcohol.
“These men claimed to know Ngwabe. They convinced him to have a drink. Once he was drunk, they took him to the railway line where they murdered him.”
Dlamini said Nonkululeko had consulted a traditional healer for a death potion for her husband.
He failed to give her the potion and she then asked him to organise the murder.
“We found out in court that one of the accomplices was a traditional healer.
“She promised them R120 000 worth of life insurance. They demanded the payment soon after the funeral and she told them she had to claim the funds.”
The couple had two children. Their 8-year-old daughter died in 2017 and their 12-year-old son now lived with Ngwabe’s family.
The case was reported at the Port Shepstone police station and transferred to the Port Shepstone Serious Organised Crime Unit. It was investigated by the Hawks.
The Hawks spokesperson, Captain Simphiwe Mhlongo, said: “Nonkululeko Ngwabe’s apprehension led to the information about her accomplices.
“Members worked tirelessly until the accused, Sthembiso Mbona, 25; Nhlakanipho Ndovela, 23; and Saziso Khambule, 25; were brought to book. They were arrested in Murchison in December 2019.”
The accomplices were also sentenced to 22 years in prison.
Daily News