The five people arrested in connection with a R10m insurance-for-murder scheme appeared in the Polokwane magistrate’s court on Wednesday.
One of them, a school principal, was arrested at work the same way his wife and alleged mastermind, Rachel Kutumela, was arrested while on duty at Senwabarana police station in 2024.
On Tuesday morning, police swooped in on Moletjie, Limpopo, and made the arrests. Among those arrested are Kutumela’s husband, her two brothers, her cousin and a sangoma. One person, believed to be a twin to one of Kutumela’s brothers, is on the run.
Their arrests stem from the murders of 10 people whose killings started in 2013 and continued until 2024.
Two of the victims were burnt, one was found dead in the street, one who was living with a disability was found floating in a dam, one died after he was poured with acid, another was found burnt inside the vehicle, and another burnt to death in a shack.
More than R10m was paid out to Rachel [Kutumela] and her accomplices. Those we have arrested have benefited from this scheme.
— Brig Athlenda Mathe, SAPS spokesperson
The victims were allegedly insured unknowingly by an alleged syndicate led by Kutumela, who used to be a police officer and has since been fired from the SAPS.
Speaking outside the Polokwane police station following the arrests on Tuesday, national police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said the syndicate was preying on vulnerable individuals and underprivileged members of society. Some of them were disabled, and the suspects would earn their trust, she said.
“Some were working for them. They took out insurance policies on them and later would be murdered.
“More than R10m was paid out to Rachel and her accomplices. Those we have arrested have benefited from this scheme. They have been positively linked to the murders because of the roles they played.
“Some would take out the policies, receive the monies after the murders and send more than half to Rachel. Rachel would then distribute to the others.”
Some of the people who are already in custody with Kutumela are her sister, Anna Shokane, and daughter, Florah Shokane, as well as her brother, Leshweng Johannes Shokane.
Mathe said it looked like it was an evil family scheme. “They insure someone, kill them, and later they benefit from the payments. It’s quite evil. I don’t think they should be regarded as human beings, because I don’t think human beings can do such to other human beings.”
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