Five suspects, including a school principal, two siblings, their cousin and a traditional healer, are expected to appear in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday morning in connection with an alleged insurance-related murder syndicate.
The suspects were arrested in Polokwane and the nearby area of Moletjie following an investigation by police.
Authorities say the group is linked to the alleged insurance killings involving former police sergeant Rachel Kutumela.
The latest arrests bring the total number of suspects connected to the alleged syndicate to ten.
Kutumela, along with her daughter, sister and brother, was arrested between 2024 and 2025 after investigators alleged that the group benefited from more than R10 million in fraudulent insurance payouts.
Police believe the suspects were part of a criminal syndicate that allegedly took out insurance policies on victims, murdered them and later claimed the insurance benefits.
Investigators allege that the network, reportedly led by Kutumela and her co-accused, targeted vulnerable individuals, taking out policies in their names before orchestrating their deaths.
The five newly arrested suspects are expected to join Kutumela and the other accused in court, where they will face multiple charges, including murder.