NONHLANHLA Zungu (21) of Adams Mission near Amanzimtoti, was sentenced by the Scottburgh Regional Court to life imprisonment for a murder she committed exactly a year ago. The court also declared her unfit to possess a firearm.
In October last year, Nonhlanhla plied her half brother, Sandile Lucky Zungu, with liquor and lured him away from the tavern in Adams Mission where they had been drinking. She requested a lift from someone who had been drinking at the same tavern. She and her brother alighted at Selborne and continued on foot to the N2 freeway overhead bridge. Nonhlanhla grabbed the highly intoxicated Sandile by the knees and toppled him over the bridge before hitchhiking home. She then arranged for a stranger to contact her mother and anonymously inform her that Sandile had been run over by a vehicle near Selborne.
When his mangled body was found, an inquest docket was registered to investigate Sandile’s death. However, investigations led detectives to believe that he had been murdered. The docket was changed to that of murder and the case was assigned to Captain Zenzele Khumalo of the Scottburgh SAPS Detective Service. Within days, Nonhlanhla was placed under arrest and brought before court.
A pastor who had been conducting prayer services at the Zungu home following Sandile’s death noticed that Nonhlanhla was behaving oddly and took her aside and spoke with her. She made a full admission of her involvement.
During the trial it emerged that Nonhlanhla had telephonically taken out an insurance policy on Sandile, with death cover, with herself as the sole beneficiary. The cover was for R1,9-million. Nonhlanhla had four other policies with another insurance company and a further policy, with death cover of R1-million, with a third insurance company. However, these policies had lapsed due to the non-payment of premiums.
She contacted the insurance company and informed them that Sandile was a passenger in a motor vehicle which had been involved in an accident and that he had died. They furnished her with the relevant claim forms but she was arrested before she could submit the claim.
