A 31-year-old woman has been convicted of killing her grandmother and using her bank and SASSA cards for her personal gain.
Nomaswazi Rachael Tshabalala appeared in Johannesburg High Court on Tuesday, where judgement was handed down. She pleaded guilty to murder, fraud, theft of the deceased’s bank and Sassa card, defeating the ends of justice and perjury.
According to Phindi Mjonondwane, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Tshabalala lived with her grandmother in Mndeni, Soweto.
On December 14, 2019, Nomsa Tshabalala fought with her granddaughter Nomaswazi, who admitted that she was under the influence of drugs. Nomsa wanted to kick her granddaughter out of their home in Mndeni on the day she was killed.
The accused knocked her grandmother with a calabash, then she strangled her with her hands until she was dead. She burned her bod and buried her in the garden.
“In her plea explanations, she stated that she reported Nomsa missing on 19 December, at the Naledi police station. She further stated that she thereafter started withdrawing funds from Nomsa’s Nedbank and SASSA cards, from 17 December 2019 until 3 September 2020,” Mjonondwane said.
Mjonondwane said Tshabalala was arrested on 3 September 2020, for using her missing grandmother’s cards.
“She was kept in custody and charged with fraud and theft, until a tenant discovered the remains of the deceased in June 2021, buried underneath a steel cabinet in the backyard.”
Acting Judge Sam Makamu found the accused guilty of premeditated murder, saying she had the opportunity to reconsider her decision because her grandmother was unconscious, but still alive when she strangled her.
The case was postponed to October 7 for sentencing.
Source: Source: News24, The Citizen, Sowetan Live, image from The Citizen: iStock