On Saturday night, Sergeant Keshi Mabunda from the Olifantsfontein police station in Gauteng was awarded the national Detective and Forensic Services Employee of the Year for his outstanding investigation which led to the successful conviction of former police sergeant, Rosemary Ndlovu.

He received the honour at the 8th Annual SAPS Excellence Awards. Police officers, reservists and Community Policing Forum members who excelled in their duties during 2021/22 were recognised.

Sergeant Keshi Mabunda. (Photo: Supplied)

Accepting the award, Mabunda said: “It was difficult to investigate Ndlovu as a fellow police officer… especially since she wanted to have me murdered.”

National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed that Mabunda was responsible for Ndlovu’s arrest and that he had worked tirelessly to link the former officer to a series of murders between 2012 and 2018.

Convicted murderer and former police officer Nomia Rosemary Ndlovu appears in the Palm Ridge Magistrates’ Court on 17 September 2021. In November 2021, the Johannesburg High Court sentenced Ndlovu to six life terms for killing her partner and five family members to benefit from their insurance policies. (Photo: Gallo Images / OJ Koloti)

In November 2021, the Johannesburg High Court sentenced Ndlovu to six life terms for killing her partner and five family members in order to  benefit from their insurance policies.

She was convicted of the murder of her cousin, Madala Witness Hornu; nephews Brilliant Mashego and Mayeni Mashaba; sister Audrey Ndlovu; niece Zanele Motha and boyfriend Maurice Mabasa.

Ndlovu pocketed R1.4-million from funeral and life insurance policies she had taken out in the names of the deceased.

Mabunda and Colonel Nthipe Boloka – her station commander at the Tembisa South police station – were on her hitlist, according to witness statements. After her arrest in March 2018, Ndlovu allegedly plotted these murders from prison.

Mabunda made immediate plans to relocate her.

“I was scared when I heard about her plot to have me killed. What I did was to have her moved from Johannesburg Prison to Kgosi Mampuru Prison, where there was tight security and she was monitored,” he said.

On his investigation into the murders, Mabunda said it was the death of Ndlovu’s boyfriend that set off alarm bells.

“She came to the Olifantsfontein police station and produced a bundle of insurance papers to be sent by my colleague… I saw there was something wrong. I made copies and informed the relevant insurances.

“The insurance companies informed me that it was not the first time she claimed insurance. That is how I connected all the cases all around her,” he said. DM

Other  national top achievers

Visible Policing and Operations’ Employee of the Year: Constable Thato Motlagomang Mothamane from the Free State. She is responsible for implementing safety programmes at 39 schools.

Detective and Forensic Services’ Employee of the Year: Joint winners were Sergeant Kheshi Mabunda from Olifantsfontein Police Station in Gauteng and Sergeant Tlou Johannes Chokoe of the Westenburg Detective Unit in Limpopo.

Crime Intelligence Team of the Year: This award went to the National Anti-Kidnapping Task Team. In the space of two years, the team investigated 134 cases of kidnappings where ransom demands had been made.

Community Policing Forum of the Year: This award was scooped by Bethelsdorp CPF in the Eastern Cape. The good working relationship between the CPF and the Victim Support Centre led to the community having more faith in the police.

Family Violence Child Protection, Sexual Offences Investigating (FCS) Unit’s Team of the Year: The winners were King William’s Town FCS led by Lt-Col NW Mbalo.

Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) Team of the Year : The Hawks for their efforts to arrest the suspects behind the assassination of the Anti-Gang Unit’s Lieutenant-Colonel Charl Kinnear. DM

Keep an eye out in Daily Maverick: We will be publishing more articles by Vincent Cruywagen on some of the country’s award-winning cops.