Life for mother’s killers
ACTING Judge Joe Nxusani said Nalin Naidu’s killers were motivated by greed and they had killed her like an animal.
Former detective constable Sifiso Nicholas Nkosi, 35, and his fiancée Phumla Ethel Matseke, 45, were handed life sentences for Naidu’s murder. They were also given a further 25 years for kidnapping.
In handing down the sentence, Judge Nxusani likened South Africa to a “jungle” where the “strong take and do as they will”.
He said the sentence would serve as a deterrent.
“Every day we read of people being raped, killed, robbed and attacked. If the court does not stamp out this scourge, it will erode the Constitution of our country.”
He labelled the couple as ring leaders who chose to enrich themselves at Naidu’s expense.
“As a nurse and detective you swore to uphold the value of life but you were lured by greed. The deceased pleaded for mercy but you showed none. Now you come before the court to plead for the mercy you deprived her of.
“The deceased was cut like a chicken. She had no chance from the moment she was grabbed. Her fate was sealed, death had come for her.”
He said Naidu was treated like an animal.
“She was thrown down a ditch to burn in the October sun.”
Nkosi and Matseke were among six people arrested by Warrant Officer Rajan Govender and members of the KwaZuluNatal provincial police task team.
Nkosi is said to have hired the contract killers, Zwelakhe Maphumulo and Gcina Magwaza, who pleaded guilty to their role in the murder in 2015. They are serving 30 and 22-year jail terms, respectively.
Matseke’s friend, Maria Sithole, who knew about the murder, entered into a plea bargain with the State and was given a suspended sentence.
Naidu was snatched at the Malvern mall on October 29, 2014, and driven to Shongweni where her throat was slit by Zwelakhe.
Her body was then dumped in a bush and was found by a herdsman.
Nkosi and Matseke were on the run for six months before they were arrested.
Naidu’s husband Seelan, the alleged mastermind behind the killing, hanged himself in 2016 while awaiting trial. This was confirmed by Judge Nxusani, who said: “Her husband was hell-bent on killing her for reasons that will never be known.
“It was heinous, heartless and showed a dark side to him. It showed he was a coward that used a hangman’s noose to kill himself.”
Naidu’s mother, Shanti Bissoon, said it was sad to hear the details of her daughter’s terrible fate.
“They didn’t feel sorry for her, and now they must suffer for it.”