Eastern Cape labelled epicentre of insurance killings

The Eastern Cape has been named as the epicentre of insurance killings, with 62 murders investigated in Nelson Mandela Bay.

However, safety and security political head Luyanda Lawu said the figures were likely worse as police did not include Despatch, particularly Khayamnandi.

Speaking in Limpopo this week, following the arrest of a former policewoman, Rachel Shokane-Kutumela, who is accused of killing several people to cash in on R10m in insurance policies, police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said the Eastern Cape, particularly Nelson Mandela Bay, was the worst.

Mathe said police were investigating 62 murder cases in the metro, where people insured others for the purpose of killing them for the benefit of cashing out on insurance claims.

“The Eastern Cape is the epicentre for insurance murders, and we’ve been investigating 62 cases in Nelson Mandela Bay alone.

“A syndicate operating in Kariega has been linked to 18 murder cases.

“The syndicate comprises 11 members.

“While two of these suspects are currently incarcerated for unrelated crimes, the arrest of the remaining syndicate members is imminent.

“Three individuals have been identified as being responsible for a high volume of cases.

“One suspect is linked to six murder cases in Motherwell, a second suspect is linked to 14 murders in KwaNobuhle, Motherwell and Kwadwesi, while a third suspect is linked to eight murders in New Brighton, Kwazakhele, Middledrift and Chungwa,” Mathe said.

She said the police had formed a Murder for Money Task Team to accelerate investigations across the province.

In September 2023, police in the Bay arrested six suspects between the ages of 40 and 52, accused of killing 11 people, two of whom were double murders in KwaNobuhle, along with charges of racketeering and fraud relating to insurance claims.

At the time, a seventh suspect was already in custody at St Albans Prison on a charge of illegal possession of a firearm.

Months before the breakthrough, Bay district commissioner Major-General Vuyisile Ncata said syndicates were targeting the elderly, poor and those without family support in insurance-linked murders.

Lawu said the reality was that insurance killings were rife in the city.

“One area that you’ve missed is Despatch, and I think in all these areas you’ve mentioned, Despatch is underrated, in particular in Khayamnandi.

“Last week Tuesday, we had a funeral for a lady in Khayamnandi who was buried a month after she was killed.

“The lady had been chopped up, and after a while, her family approached me asking for assistance.

“After she was killed, the family found out there were several individuals who had taken out insurance policies against her and payments were stopped.”

Lawu said the city did not investigate crimes but had focused on improving safety through the installation of CCTV cameras.

“In December, we had a mayoral committee meeting where we approved the mass recruitment of 180 Metro Police officers.”

Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana said the Murder for Money Task Team was established in January 2025 and was making significant progress in investigating a spate of murders linked to funeral and life insurance policies in the Nelson Mandela Bay district.

“Initially, the team received a total of 165 murder cases.”

Gantana did not give a time frame for the murders.

“These dockets were meticulously perused and analysed in collaboration with an investigator from the South African Insurance Crime Bureau (SAICB).

“Following this intensive process, cases that were not linked to syndicate activity were referred to the relevant police stations for continued investigation.

“Currently, the task team is actively investigating 62 murder cases.

“As a direct result of this collaborative effort, investigators have successfully identified a criminal syndicate as well as several high-profile individual perpetrators.”

Bay activist and former The Herald Citizen of the Year winner Thamsanqa Nkevu said residents from KwaNobuhle had been vocal about suspicious killings in their community.

“Community members now are coming out and condemning these killings, while in other areas they are still silent.

“I think the only reason that we are labelled as the epicentre is that we are forthcoming with statistics.

“We are not pushing it under the table, unlike in other areas, where people now are too scared to even mention the words insurance killing for fear of their lives.

“So I don’t think they are wrong to label us as such, but it doesn’t mean that we are the worst community when it comes to insurance murders.

“It simply means that the community is coming forward with information and is actively involved in condemning this,” Nkevu said.