Update: Claims assessor testifies

Update

GEORGE NEWS - Testimony this week in the murder trial of the slain 25-year-old Hlompho Mohapi (Koloi) mostly concerned the insurance claims procedure at OUTsurance, one of the companies where life insurance had been taken out on Mohapi's name.

The three accused, Melisizwe Monqo, Siphosihle Pamba and Phumlani Qhusheka, have been in custody since they were arrested in July 2018 shortly after Mohapi's body was found on the Voëlklip road near Herold's Bay.

On Monday 26 October, Eric Buckle, a life claims assessor at OUTsurance from Johannesburg, took the stand.

He explained the procedure when policies are taken out and how the claims process works. He reiterated that all calls are recorded and that during calls the sales advisor tells the client to provide true and correct information and that any incorrect information might influence the cover or the outcome of the claims.

The court also heard that HIV tests are only necessary when taking out comprehensive cover. Three of the four calls that were made to OUTsurance by a woman, were for accidental death cover only. The voice recordings were played to one of the witnesses, a family member of Mohapi who also knew Pamba, who identified the voice in the recordings as that of Pamba.

Buckle told the court that on 11 July 2018 a man who said he was Mohapi's life partner informed OUTsurance that she was stabbed to death on 5 July that year. The same person also provided the claims advisor with an e-mail address and contact details for the claim.

On 12 July, Buckle had a look at system-generated e-mails and noticed that a life policy to the value of R3-million was taken out less than five days before the claim was filed.

He subsequently discovered that more life insurance policies had been taken out on Mohapi's life from Clientele Life and One Life Direct. These policies, as well as the policies from OUTsurance, were all taken out on 3 July - two days before Mohapi was murdered.

Buckle then furbished the investigating officer in Mohapi's murder, Sgt Thembekile Matwa, with the information and voice recordings of the various phone calls related to the policies.

Earlier in the trial when admissions were made, Pamba admitted to making calls to various insurance companies to take out life and funeral policies on other people's names. However, she told the court that she was being an obedient wife, who was only doing as told by Monqo, her husband.

In total, nearly R30-million's worth of life and funeral policies were allegedly taken out by the accused on Mohapi's life as well as that of three other potential victims from the Eastern Cape.

Last week potential victims of the three accused as well police members, investigating officers and witnesses, all from the Eastern Cape, testified for the state.

Yesterday, Wednesday 28 October, a captain from the Hawks testified regarding cellphone records that were analysed by them.

The case serves in front of Honourable Judge Taswell Papier. Adv Evadne Kortjé is for the state, Adv Johan Visser (SC) represents Monqo, Adv Dawie Scholtz represents Pamba and Att Louise Luterek will be representing Qhusheka.

Other charges

Besides the charge of murder the three accused face charges of conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, fraud, robbery with aggravating circumstances and kidnapping.

At the beginning of the trial Monqo pleaded guilty to 15 of the 29 charges against him. Pamba and Qhusheka pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Mohapi was allegedly lured to her death under false pretence of a job interview at George Airport. Life and funeral policies worth nearly R5-million were taken out on her name shortly before she was murdered.

A nurse who was duly authorised by the insurance company to draw Mohapi's blood on the day before her death also took to the stand on Wednesday morning. The court heard that she took a sample of Mohapi's blood at Thembalethu Square as arranged and was under the impression that the HIV test was required by an insurance company for a policy. She did not have any knowledge as to what policy it was.

However, Mohapi's boyfriend testified that he accompanied her to Thembalethu Square for her blood to be drawn for an HIV test, and his understanding was that it was a prerequisite for the job she was being interviewed for the following day, the day she was murdered.

Phumlani Qhusheka, Siphosihle Pamba and Melisizwe Monqo