WATCH | Serial killers can’t be rehabilitated, says forensic psychologist

Forensic psychologist Dr Gerard Labuschagne is doubtful that convicted killer police officer Nomia Rosemary Ndlovu will be rehabilitated by her time in prison.

Labuschagne was reflecting on the most well-known serial killers in SA, ranging from Moses Sithole to “Boetie Boer”.

Serial killers in SA and around the globe are nothing new, but the Ndlovu case caught the attention of the SA public — possibly because female serial killers in SA are far less common.

That Ndlovu was a woman and having been a police officer, made her case stand out. She also killed family members, which, according to Labuschagne, is not common among most serial killers.

Unlike most serial killers, Ndlovu hired people to do her dirty work for her, but she was ultimately charged with six counts of murder and sentenced to a total of 275 years’ imprisonment.

Criminologist Nirmala Gopal agrees that the Ndlovu case was unusual, partly due to her odd behaviour.

“One thing that stood out for me was that Rosemary behaved quite bizarrely in court. And the question here is whether there is some kind of mental incapacity, or is she seeking attention and trying to divert from the actual crime itself?” Gopal said.

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