PEOPLE who hire hitmen to "take out" their spouses, relatives or business partners are motivated by the low murder solve rate, failed prosecutions and a broken criminal justice system, experts said this week.
In the Durban High Court, last week, Wendel Leo Brock, pleaded guilty to the murder of a Chatsworth father, Bradley Singh. This in a bid to be with Singh’s wife, Loretta Ramrathan.
Brock said Ramrathan had paid his relative R20 000 from Singh’s death insurance pay-out to execute the killing.
Brock was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while Ramrathan, who also pleaded guilty to murder, received an 18 year sentence.
Johan Booysen, the former head of the Hawks in KZN, said: “The reasons for the phenomenon of being able to kill easily can be ascribed to a combination of factors. Mainly, the broken criminal justice system, which has a very low solving rate by the police and ultimately, failed prosecutions by the National Prosecuting Authority. This prompts individuals to hire contract killers to murder partners when relationships go awry, to settle scores, to neutralise opposition in legitimate and illegitimate businesses, to attack police investigators, prosecutors and recently liquidators, knowing that the chances of getting caught are slim.”
He said KZN was notoriously known for the availability of assassins.
“In KZN, hitmen are referred to as Izinkabi. The high number of hitmen can be related to poor socio-economic conditions, as poverty makes it attractive for potential killers to succumb to the lure of money.
“The culture of violence in South Africa and the availability of illegal firearms also contributes to the problem. These types of investigations are normally very difficult, because a number of middlemen are utilised, making it challenging to link the murder to the original person behind it,” Booysen said.
Criminologist Niven Naidoo said several key factors underpinned the trend of people hiring hitmen to kill their loved ones or relatives.
“These include life insurance fraud, where victims are sometimes specifically targeted so that perpetrators can cash in on lucrative insurance policies and revenge killings. In some cases, family members or loved ones resort to vigilante justice in response to perceived betrayals or wrongdoings.
“A combination of widespread economic desperation, systemic unemployment, and a historical legacy of violence has created an environment where resorting to such extreme measures are becoming disturbingly common. The rapid spread of these cases highlights the urgency of addressing underlying societal problems. Multiple interrelated social challenges are at the heart of this crisis,” Naidoo added.
He said challenges included economic disparities, educational deficits, substance abuse and firearm access.
“Chronic unemployment and a scarcity of sustainable economic opportunities drive many to desperate measures. In terms of educational deficits, the limited access to quality education curtails prospects for upward mobility, leaving individuals more vulnerable to criminal influences.
“The widespread availability of mind-altering substances, coupled with easy access to firearms, escalates the potential for violent outcomes. Cultural factors also play a role. In some sectors of society, a glamorisation of wealth and notoriety inadvertently promotes criminal behaviour as a fast track to success,” he said.
In KwaZulu-Natal, Naidoo said the situation was particularly concerning.
“Economic hardships and limited opportunities have led many young people and the unemployed to view participation in these crimes as a viable means of income. The convergence of factors has significantly lowered the barriers to executing murder-for-hire schemes.
“To curb this, murder needs to be addressed as a multifaceted problem which requires a comprehensive and coordinated strategy.
“There is a need for economic and educational interventions. Expanding job opportunities and improving access to quality education can provide at-risk individuals with alternatives to criminal activity. Enhancing investigative techniques and ensuring swift justice for those involved in these crimes are critical deterrents and would curb the issue.
“We also need initiatives designed to rehabilitate at-risk youth and support the reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals to help reduce the allure of criminal enterprises. Campaigns that challenge the glamorisation of criminal behaviour and promote positive societal values are essential to shifting public perceptions. Enforcing tighter regulations on firearm access can diminish the lethality and frequency of these murders,” he added.
“Combating this trend demands a multifaceted approach that not only addresses the immediate symptoms but also the root causes of the crisis. Only through a concerted effort that combines economic reform, enhanced law enforcement, community engagement, and cultural change can the trend be curbed,” Naidoo said.
Mary de Haas, an independent crime expert, said the use of hitmen made it difficult for cases to be solved.
“Hiring hitmen to kill makes it more difficult for police - who aren't very good to start with - to trace the real killers. The fact that crime intelligence is dysfunctional and politicised at the moment is a big contributing factor to the rise of the use of hitmen.
“There's been a huge onslaught on some of the senior officials from SAPS and questions are being asked about where all the funding allocated for informants are going to. Members from crime intelligence units are complaining that they cannot pay their informants and they are threatening to go public if this is not resolved. Informants are supposed to get a reward for providing information, which requires them to most often risk their lives, and if they are not going to get paid for it, they would not do it.
“Informants are not prepared to risk their lives for peanuts and that's why they are being offered. If SAPS had proper informants and a well operated crime intelligence unit then it would not be difficult for police to know where people who were plotting to kill people were hiding,” she added.
She said informants from taxi ranks and local shebeens played a big role in providing information to police.
“You cannot curb the number of hits if informants don’t get paid and if they do not have protection. If their identities are not properly protected, which sometimes happens, they get killed. So they are not going to do it unless they know they are going to be as safe as possible.
“Crime intelligence is impacting on every single category of violent crimes because of the lack of information to actually provide for proactive policing. Hits are going on and on because there are so few convictions for murder. It's an added layer of complexity if you use somebody else for it. Often if there's a syndicate involved and a group of people are involved in plotting the killing. It is easy to kill. We need researchers to delve into interviewing hitmen in prison to get more insight,” she added.