Mum sentenced to life imprisonment for killing her 14-year-old daughter for insurance payout

Saturday, November 15, 2025 -The Ntuzuma Regional Court in South Africa has sentenced a 43-year-old woman, Ncamisile Evarista Hlophe, to life imprisonment for the m3rder of her 14-year-old daughter, Luvuyo Tafadzwe Bera. 

The incident took place in ‘D’ Section, in KwaMashu, Durban in July 2024.

 The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in a statement on Friday, November 14, 2025 said the court found that the crime was driven by the mother's wish to cash out multiple life insurance policies taken out on the child. 

According to the NPA, the woman initially reported to police that her daughter had gone to bed the previous night complaining of a headache and taking medication.

“On the morning following the d3ath, the accused told police that the deceased (her daughter) had suffered from a headache and had taken medication before going to bed the previous night,” the statement read. 

The accused said she discovered the deceased when she went to wake her up for school. The deceased was found lying in a pool of blood with an injury to the back of her head. 

The accused told police that the deceased had injured herself by falling from the bed. An inquest docket was registered.

During the post-mortem, the pathologist found that the injuries sustained by the deceased were not consistent with the accused’s version of events. 

The police also interviewed the accused’s neighbours, who said that before the incident, they had heard the deceased pleading with the accused not to k!ll her.

Further investigations revealed that the accused had taken out several life insurance policies on the deceased. 

Before the incident, the accused had called the consultants (for the policies), confirming the policy amount and the claim procedure. The accused was subsequently arrested.

In court, the accused elected to plead guilty under Section 112(2) of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1997, but the court did not accept her plea in full and entered a plea of not guilty under Section 113. 

The accused then made Section 220 admissions in addition to her guilty plea, where she admitted to k!lling the deceased for the insurance money. Based on the strength of the admissions, the court found the accused guilty as charged.

In aggravation of the sentence, Prosecutor Sbongiseni Goodenough Mtetwa led the testimony of the deceased's distraught father. 

He told the court that the deceased was his only child, and he solely maintained her expenses, including school fees, etc. 

The accused was sentenced accordingly and declared unfit to possess a firearm.

“The NPA welcomes the conviction and sentence. We remain steadfast in our commitment to uphold the rule of law and pursue justice without fear or favour. We will safeguard the rights and dignity of all members of society, especially children and other vulnerable groups,” the statement added.