‘It's a joke': KZN detective guilty of plotting commissioner's murder dismisses 10-year sentence
Former police detective Captain Roshanel Banawo has been found guilty of plotting the murder of Umzinyathi District Commissioner Major General Francis Slambert.
Banawo appeared in the Newcastle Regional Court on Wednesday, which found that he had conspired to kill Slambert.
The former police captain was sentenced to 10 years in jail. His defence asked for a wholly suspended sentence.
When asked about his reaction to the sentence, Banawo dismissively responded: 'It's a joke.'
He was responding to questions from the media inside the court.
Banawo denied plotting to kill Slambert.
Former SAPS Detective Captain Roshanlal Banawo has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment after being found of plotting to murder former Mountain Rise police station commander Major-General Francis Slambert.
Read full story here: https://t.co/pmPeiULBv6 #kzn #Police pic.twitter.com/aQk1XNXBOE — The Witness (@WitnessKZN) May 14, 2025
The former detective was arrested on 26 November 2023, when Francis' assassination plans were revealed by the KZN task team.
KZN detective's conviction details
Banawo was found guilty on one count of conspiracy to commit murder but acquitted on a second charge of incitement to murder.
The former police captain has been in custody since his arrest in November 2023, having been denied bail on three separate occasions.
The case began formal proceedings on 10 September 2024, after being transferred to the provincial organised crime unit for thorough investigation following his initial arrest.
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Mystery surrounding motive for murder
Despite the conviction, authorities have not yet established why Banawo plotted to kill the District Commissioner.
According to The Witness, Magistrate Theunis Colditz, delivering the judgment, stated: 'For some reason which is not clear, the accused seems to have some sort of obsession with the complainant.
'I don't understand why he had a grudge against her—she was not involved in his dismissal.'
Banawo was dismissed from the South African Police Service (Saps) in 2021 after illicit substances were found in his home.
He was subsequently arrested in November 2023 following intelligence that revealed alleged attempts to assassinate Major General Slambert.
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Multiple assassination attempts
The court reportedly heard details of a 'chilling case' involving at least two alleged attempts on Slambert's life.
Between May and August 2023, Slambert survived two assassination attempts while serving as district commissioner in Dundee.
She had previously worked as a station commander at Peter Maritzburg's Mountain Rise Police Station.
Financial incentives for hitmen
Witnesses reportedly testified that Banawo had offered R50,000 to hired hitmen to carry out the assassination.
The court acknowledged there were inconsistencies in the testimonies of the hitmen.
'Although the testimonies of the two hired hitmen were inconsistent and must be treated with caution—as they were accomplice witnesses—there was sufficient evidence to support the charge of conspiracy to commit murder,' Colditz explained.
The court rejected Banawo's claim that he had been set up and that witnesses were used to entrap him.
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