Newcastle – Former South African Police Service (SAPS) Captain, 63-year-old Roshanlal Banawo, has been sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for conspiring to murder another senior officer.
The Newcastle Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, (14 May 2025), sentenced Banawo for conspiring to murder SAPS uMzinyathi District Commissioner Major-General Francis Slambert.
Evidence led in court showed that between May and August 2023, Banawo approached a middleman and requested him to secure a hitman to kill Slambert.
They then secured the assistance of the hitman who travelled to Dundee to kill Slambert.
However, their plans did not materialise in these instances.
The provincial police task team received information about the plot to kill Slambert and investigated further.
These investigations led them to the middleman and the hitman.
Cell phone records obtained by the task team confirmed communication between the middleman and Banawo.
Banawo was arrested thereafter.
In the State’s case, Advocate Adriaan (Attie) Truter led the evidence of the hitman and the middleman who testified about the conspiracy.
Cellphone data analysis and documentary evidence, such as protection orders between the parties, also formed part of the State’s case.
Banawo was found guilty and sentenced accordingly. The former police captain was declared unfit to possess a firearm.
“The National Prosecuting Authority [NPA] welcomes the successful finalisation of this matter,” said NPA KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara
“Matters of this nature are serious, and the NPA and our partners in the Justice Cluster remain resolute in our fight against crime.
“We hope this sentence conveys the desired deterrent message.”
