Simon Nare

Simon Nare

This year will perhaps be remembered for the women who allegedly plotted the killings of their spouses for financial gain.

Last month, the Vereeniging circuit court heard how a wife, her friend and a hitman killed a mining executive a day before he was to receive R1million in retirement and pension payouts.

Albert Matududu Mojapelo, 47, was shot twice in the head on September 29 last year.

His widow, Tinky Sophie Mojapelo, 38, her friend Antoinette Mkhensani Masuku, 26, and one of the alleged hitmen, Orlando Mandoza, 32, were arrested and charged with kidnapping and murder.

A Pretoria widow shocked a Middelburg circuit court last month when she confessed to paying three hitmen R450000 " to scare" her pharmacist husband.

Andrew Tladi was shot in the boot of his Mercedez-Benz while pleading for his life in Groblersdaal on December 3 2004.

Tladi was a senior manager in the Limpopo Department of Health and Social Services.

Tladi said that she was not keen to join him in Polokwane and hired the hitmen "just to scare him" so that he would come back home.

Tladi, her friend Eva Sithole, Samson Mogalaka and Gilbert Makhobela face charges of murder and kidnapping.

Gustav Snyman, one of the accused, has turned state witness.

At the beginning of the year, a Durban high court judge sentenced Duduzile Primrose Ngcobo, 24, Vincent Themba Sibiya, 45, and Sanele Victor Msomi, 21, to life imprisonment and an additional 20 years each.

They were on trial for the murder of Ngcobo 's former boyfriend, Sipho Petros Mncwabe.

The court heard that Ngcobo had learnt that Mncwabe had R20000 and set out to rob him of the money.

He was killed after being kidnapped him his home.