An Eastern Cape daughter who orchestrated the murder of her mother by hiring two hitmen to carry out the killing has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Nolufefe Jongwana, 36, was sentenced this week in the Lusikisiki Regional Court for the murder of her mother, Nomonde Jongwana, 54.
Nomonde was murdered on June 12, 2019.
Her co-accused hitmen, Masixolo Darke, 28, and Ntsikayomzi Mpentsheni, 36, were also sentenced to life imprisonment.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Nomonde was found stabbed multiple times on her upper body in her rented flat in Bambisana, where she was a teacher, in the district of Lusikisiki.
“Police investigations led to the arrest of her daughter and her two accomplices on October 2, 2019 in Feni location,” said NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali.
By the time she was arrested, police found that Nolufefe had already made multiple insurance claims on her mother’s life.
“During the trial, the trio made confessions about their roles in the murder, admitting that Nolufefe hired the two men to kill her mother.
“She gave both men R1,500 for transport to travel to Lusikisiki from Peddie.
“She described her mother’s flat and how they could gain entry, and they chose to stab her, as shooting her would have raised alarm in the neighbourhood.”
Tyali said that on hearing of her mother’s death, Nolufefe acted shocked, posting on social media platforms seeking assistance for her mother’s “killers to be found”.
“Civic formations, both in Lusikisiki and Peddie, served petitions to law enforcement authorities, demanding justice for the slain teacher,” Tyali said.
The court found that the State had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Barry Madolo commended the prosecutor and the investigating officer for ensuring that justice was served.
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