South African woman sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for brutal murder of her mother for insurance policy payout

The Mpumalanga Division of the High Court in South Africa on Monday, January 29, 2024, convicted and sentenced Valencia Nonhlanhla Mthunywa (33), to 20 years of direct imprisonment for the murder of her mother, Wanter Bajabulile Dlamini (62).

Nonhlanhla and her sister, Bathabile Penelope Mthunywa, killed their mother in 2020 for an insurance payout. 

The two sisters with three others, Ntombizodwa Ndwandwa, Moses Masemola, who has since passed away and Stanley Mashikeng, boyfriend to one of the sisters, assaulted, raped and killed the deceased. 

The National Prosecuting Authority, NPA Regional spokesperson, DPP Mpumalanga, Monica Nyuswa, in a statement, said the court further sentenced the accused to five years imprisonment for attempted murder and three years for defeating the ends of justice. 

“It further ordered the sentences imposed on attempted murder and defeating the ends of justice to run concurrently with the sentence imposed on murder, the effective sentence being 20 years direct imprisonment,” the statement read. 

“The accused was also declared unfit to possess a firearm in terms of the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000.

“This is after the accused entered into a plea sentence agreement with the state. 

“The accused was charged along with her sister, Bathabile Penelope Mthunywa (39), Nombuso Philadelphia Ndwandwa (41), and Steen Silo Mashakeng (35). 

“These charges emanate from an incident which happened on 05 January 2020 in Barberton in the district of Mjindini where the deceased was having drinks with some of the accused when her beer was poisoned. 

“The following day, Valencia invited the deceased to her boyfriend’s house and conspired to kill her to claim an R80 000 insurance policy which was taken by Ndwandwa in the deceased’s name in November 2019.

“The deceased was assaulted, raped, and strangled until she died. 

“The deceased’s body was discovered dumped at a local dumping area near the abator. 

“A few days later, a claim from Old Mutual was received from the deceased daughters. 

“The police investigations led to the arrest of the accused. 

“In court one accused pleaded guilty and that calls for the separation of trials. 

“The case against the remaining accused was postponed from 18 November to 06 December 2024, for the new presiding officer and trial.