Her trial may have been separated from a larger suspected crime syndicate, but a woman from Despatch was still convicted and sentenced for fraudulently claiming three funeral policies in the name of a murdered man she did not know.

An elaborate scheme to profit from the murder of a man in Makhanda came crashing down around a Nelson Mandela Bay woman when she was convicted and sentenced for fraudulent funeral policy claims on Tuesday.

While police officials involved in the investigation were pleased with the judgment handed down in the Kariega Magistrates' Court, the head of the police's specialised Money for Murder (MFM) task team said securing the conviction was of vital importance to their string of ongoing investigations.

Monelwa Gwane, 53, was sentenced to an effective five years behind bars after she was found guilty of three counts of fraud.

She took out multiple funeral policies on Ayanda Mvemve in anticipation of his untimely death more than three years ago.

With each transaction, she lied about her relationship with Mvemve to secure the policy in the weeks leading up to his murder.

Stabbed to death

Mvemve was stabbed to death on 27 March 2022. In the four months leading up to his death, numerous funeral policies were taken out in his name across several insurance providers. On three of these policies, Gwane was named as the sole beneficiary.

While it might be suspicious, there is nothing illegal about...