By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Photo Credit: Sakhiseni Nxumalo.
Former police captain Roshanlal Banawo has been found guilty of plotting the murder of Umzinyathi District Commissioner, Major General Francis Slambert.
Banawo, 63, was convicted and sentenced to ten years by the Newcastle Magistrate’s Court.
He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Slambert survived at least two assassination attempts on her life between May and August 2023.
A police officer for 39 years, Banawo was arrested in November 2023 when the plot against Slambert became evident.
He has remained in custody since his arrest, with three separate bail applications—including one at the Pietermaritzburg High Court—all denied.
State Prosecutor Advocate Adriaan Truter led the evidence of the hitman and the middelman, who testified about the conspiracy to murder the commissioner.
Cellphone data analysis and documentary evidence, such as protection orders between the parties, were also added to the State’s case.
The two 204 witnesses, William Dlamini and Sthembiso Mdlalose, who were part of the conspiracy, testified against Banawo for the state, were discharged from prosecution.
A Section 204 witness in South Africa is a person who, under Section 204 of South Africa’s Criminal Procedure Act (Act 51 of 1977) is called to testify against others in exchange for indemnity from prosecution for their own involvement in the same crime. This means they are essentially granted immunity from prosecution for their role in the crime if they testify truthfully and fully.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in KwaZulu-Natal said Banawo was found guilty of attempting to hire a hitman to kill Slambert between May 2023 and August 2023.
NPA spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the court heard that Banawo approached a middleman and requested him to secure a hitman.
“They then secured the assistance of the hitman who travelled to Dundee to kill Slambert. However, this did not happen. The provincial task team received information about the plot to kill the commissioner and probed the matter.”