Judge wishes ex-cop ‘good luck’ and jails her for life

A former police officer has been labelled “exceptionally wicked” after conspiring with her lover to have her husband killed.

On Friday, the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) High Court sitting in Mtubatuba sentenced former police sergeant Ntombizodwa Getrude Ntinga for the murders of her husband, Nkosinathi Ntinga, and his friend, Mpendulo Mdluli.

She was found guilty on multiple charges.

Her co-accused, Samkelo Ncamisa Mpanza, was also sentenced.

Ntinga and her lover, Mira Khoza, plotted to kill Nkosinathi, a former warrant officer in the South African Police Service (Saps), claiming he physically abused her.

They enlisted Mpanza to assist in the murder.

Murder plot unfolds

On the evening of 1 August 2023, Ntinga left home to buy Nkosinathi liquor from a nearby tavern in Phathane, KwaMbonambi.

Upon her return, she stepped outside and called Khoza, informing him that her husband was off-duty and in the lounge.

The plot took an unexpected turn when Mdluli, an administration clerk at Ntambanana police station, arrived at the house.

When the assailants showed up in a hired car, they restrained those inside, confiscated their phones and service pistols, and then abducted Nkosinathi and Mdluli.

ALSO READ: Paarl woman who killed 6-month-old daughter sees life sentence reduced – Here’s why

They drove the victims to a sugarcane field, where Nkosinathi was executed, and Mdluli was brutally beaten.

The police later found Nkosinathi’s body near Mdluli’s abandoned vehicle.

Mdluli was discovered alive but with severe head injuries. He succumbed to his wounds days later in hospital.

The wife and Mpanza were subsequently arrested.

Judge’s scathing verdict

During sentencing, Judge Robin Mossop delivered a scathing verdict, condemning the two accused for their lack of empathy and ubuntu.

Mossop remarked that after hearing five weeks of testimony, he was left with “a far from impressive image of both of you as human beings”.

“A person is a human being because of the genes contained within 23 pairs of chromosomes.

“Your wicked conduct causes one to question whether you are truly human or whether you are both monsters, devoid of human qualities,” the introduction of the 27 March judgment reads.

He pointed to the cruelty inflicted upon the husband, highlighting how he was thrown into the boot of a car before being driven off to his death.

“When it was decided to kill him, his lifeless body was left partially naked, exposed to the elements. Why? You had killed him. Why strip away, literally, the last piece of dignity that he possessed?”

READ MORE: Eastern Cape man who killed girlfriend and her mother sentenced to life

The court also said Mdluli’s murder was particularly brutal.

The judge recounted how he tried to escape captivity, only for Khoza to react with fury and deliver “crushing blows to his head with a metal crowbar”.

“It is no wonder that he ultimately did not survive that beating.”

He also highlighted that “the process of dying took approximately four days”.

“To make matters worse, if that was at all possible, you simply left him at the side of the road as if he was a piece of trash. He was not that. He was, like you, a member of the human race.”

The court stressed that Mdluli was an innocent victim caught in the middle of a senseless crime and “forfeited his life”.

Accused’s personal circumstances

Reflecting on Ntinga’s background, Mossop pointed out that she had a comfortable life, owning a car, a home, and having been married with a son.

Despite this, she still chose to have her husband murdered.

“It appears that this was not enough for you. You wanted something more. I do not know what it was that you wanted.

“You may have truly desired a relationship with Mira, although I doubt that this was the case.

“Whatever it is that you wanted, it is very clear that you did not want your husband. And thus you arranged for him to be kidnapped and killed.”

READ MORE: SA cop killings: NW police officer gunned down in broad daylight on way to work

Regarding Mpanza, the judge noted that he was only 19 years old when the crime was committed, had dropped out of school in Grade 9, and had lost his father at a young age.

“While accused one [Ntinga] had everything going for her, it appears that you had very little going for yourself. Yours was a hardscrabble existence.”

Despite their circumstances, Mossop ruled that no substantial or compelling factors justified a lesser sentence.

No remorse

Moreover, Mossop indicated that Ntinga displayed no remorse throughout the trial.

“You have sat scowling and stone-faced in the dock, generally unresponsive to even the most horrific evidence that has been led.”

He said Ntinga showed emotion only when the prosecutor asked her to view a photo of her husband’s body.

“You appeared to weep, and the court adjourned for a short while to allow you to compose yourself, but I harboured the suspicion that the tears were more apparent than real.”

READ MORE: Two police officers killed while responding to house robbery in Free State

The judge expressed doubt about her claim that she had her husband killed due to abuse allegations, pointing out contradictions in her testimony.

Ntinga initially admitted to the crime, but later claimed she had been coerced into making a confession statement.

“You will appreciate from these contradictory versions that what exactly happened is as clear as mud, if anything did happen at all.”

Sentencing

The court also considered the impact on the victims’ families, who were left devastated by the murders.

Nkosinathi’s mother expressed disbelief at Ntinga’s betrayal, saying in her affidavit that she could never imagine that her daughter-in-law “was going to have intentions that are so evil against my son at a later stage”.

Mdluli’s wife, who had only been married for a month at the time of his murder, lamented that her husband was “killed on purpose and for nothing”.

Ntinga received life imprisonment for each murder, 15 years for robbery, and five years for two counts of kidnapping.

Mpanza got 25 years for each of the two killings, 14 years for robbery, and four years for each kidnapping.

Both were declared unfit to own firearms.

According to Zululand Observer, the other suspect allegedly involved in the murders, Khoza, is a Mozambican national who has reportedly been arrested in his home country for a separate issue.

With concurrent sentences, Ntinga will serve life, while Mpanza will serve 25 years.

“I wish you good luck,” the judgment concluded.

NOW READ: At least 21 police officers killed in three months —  Masemola