The Apostle Paul must have bumped into Nomia Rosemary Ndlovu when he said in 1 Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is the root of all evil”.
Ndlovu, South Africa’s notorious serial killer, was convicted of murdering six people including her lover and five of her relatives between 2012 and 2018. And her motive was money. She pocketed more than R1.4 million in insurance payouts.
In the upcoming Showmax true crime documentary, “Rosemary’s Hitlist”, Ndlovu’s heinous crimes are brought to life as family, friends and colleagues share their shock and recount their traumatic experiences.
“Rosemary’s Hitlist” speaks to those closest to the case, including investigating officer Sergeant Keshi Mabunda and Colonel Nthipe L Boloka, her station commander at Tembisa South police station – Ndlovu was accused of trying to kill both from prison.
Other interviewees include Ndlovu’s prosecutor, Advocate Riana Williams and Everson Luhanga, “Scrolla Africa” editor at large, who originally broke the story, as well as family members of Ndlovu and Mabasa, their landlord and her former school teacher.
The series is directed by Valen’tino Mathibela, with Richard Gregory (Steinheist) as a consulting director.
“Rosemary’s Hitlist is set between New Forest Village in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, where Ndlovu grew up, and Tembisa, where she was paid to serve and protect.
“We feel safe around men and women in blue and even safer around family members. The last thing we expect is for them to plot to kill us,” Mathibela said.
“Even if you followed the court case, the twists we found in this documentary will shock you. She really is a larger-than-life character in a stranger-than-fiction story; you could never script this stuff.”
The four-part documentary also gives the audience a peek into the courtroom where she was tried and convicted with Judge Ramarumo Monama handing her a sentence of six concurrent life terms
Judge Monama compared Ndlovu to the 1932 murder case of Daisy de Melker, saying South Africa hadn’t seen anything else similar in the last 89 years.
Ndlovu is back in court this year on new charges. In February, she and her co-accused, Nomsa Mudau, pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiring to murder Mudau’s ex-husband, Justice.
According to IOL News, Mudau’s husband was to be killed in their home in Kempton Park.
He learnt about the plot from the hired “hitmen”, who warned him instead.
“Rosemary’s Hitlist” starts streaming on Showmax on June 14, with new episodes dropping on Thursdays.