ADOPTIVE FATHER AND HITMEN SENTENCED FOR BRUTAL FUNERAL POLICY MONEY
20 JUNE 2025
ADOPTIVE FATHER AND HITMEN SENTENCED FOR BRUTAL FUNERAL POLICY MONEY
Knysna, South Africa, The High Court of South Africa: Western Cape Division sitting in Knysna has sentenced Mboneleli Msila, Mbulelo Jack, Monde Tshemese and Lungisile Lucas to long-term imprisonment after the court convicted them for the brutal premeditated murder of a severely mentally disabled young woman for funeral policy money. Msila, who was the mastermind behind the assassination of Nosipho Mafana and Tshemese, who fatally shot her 15 times, were sentenced to life imprisonment for conspiracy to commit murder and life imprisonment for her premeditated murder. Tshemese was also sentenced to five years' direct imprisonment for illegal possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition. Jack and Lucas were sentenced to 17 years' direct imprisonment for conspiracy to commit murder and 17 years' direct imprisonment for the premeditated murder. The court ordered their sentences to run concurrently. They will effectively serve 17 years’ direct imprisonment.
The court convicted the four accused after Senior State Adv John Ryneveld proved that they put together a well-planned assassination with clearly identified roles for each of the accused, which was driven by greed. Msila and his wife adopted Mfana at the age of 11. The well-orchestrated plan began in April 2021, when Mfana, under Msila’s instruction, took out a R100,000 funeral policy with Standard Bank. The policy would pay out R200,000 in the event of an unnatural death. Msila was the beneficiary of this funeral policy.
In February 2022, another R1000000 funeral policy cover was taken with First National Bank (FNB), which would payout R200000 in the event of an unnatural death of the policyholder. Msila’s sister-in-law, Nosiphiwo Koti Thomas, was the beneficiary of this funeral policy. On 08 March 2022, Msila accompanied Mfana to Capitec Bank, where he requested her funeral policy to be amended and increased from R50,000 to R100,000. In the event of an accidental death, there would not be the normal six-month waiting period, and the amount that would be paid out would be doubled. His wife was the beneficiary of the policy.
To put the plan in motion, Msila approached his nephew and asked him to source a firearm from his friends, pretending that he wanted to use the firearm to protect his livestock in the Eastern Cape. He then approached his neighbour and requested him to kill Mfana and offered him R40,000 for the job. He promised to provide the firearm to carry out the assassination and that he would make sure that his family members were not at home when the shooting took place. The neighbour did not take the job and did not report the plan to the police.
On the evening of 30 April 2022, Jack, Tshemese and Lucas entered the yard of 15 Cuba Street, KwaNokuthula, Plettenberg Bay, and Jack and Tshemese entered Msila’s house where the deceased was sleeping on a mattress in the lounge with two other young women. Jack’s responsibility was to identify and point out Mfana, and Tshemese’s role was to assassinate her. He shot the 23-year-old woman 15 times while Lucas stood guard outside. The three men later walked out of the yard and jumped into a getaway vehicle. The other two young women who were sleeping next to the deceased were not hurt, and Msila, who was sleeping in the other room, was also not hurt. Nothing was taken from the house.
The plan fell apart when a tin collector observed the three men when they entered the yard. He saw Lucas standing guard in the yard, and the other two men entered the house. He knew the three men as they lived in the area. He saw flashes of light like firecrackers from the house. He also observed the men leaving the house after numerous shots were fired. He reported the shooting incident to the investigating officer, whom he knew. He identified Jack and Lucas through a photographic identification exercise. He also took the investigating officer to Tshemese’s residence and pointed him out.
Meanwhile, after Mfana’s death, Msila submitted a claim at Standard Bank for the benefit of R200 000, but the claim was rejected as the cause of death and the circumstances surrounding the policy became the subject of an investigation. FNB paid out the R200,000 benefit to his sister-in-law, and Capitec Bank paid his wife the maximum amount of R200,000.
Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Adv. Nicolette Bell praised the investigation and prosecution team for their sterling work in ensuring justice for Mfana. The cruelty accused one showed in putting together the assassination plan, her funeral policy money, and the participants in that plan for their greedy benefit is indicative of the sick society we live in. Our responsibility is to live up to the challenge and ensure that we send each accused who is involved in such barbaric plans to prison for a long time.
Issued by:
Eric Ntabazalila
National Prosecuting Authority
Regional Communications Manager – Western Cape
Tel: (021) 487 7308
Mobile: 073 062 1222