Former Dundee police captain sentenced to 10 years for conspiracy to kill police general
Roshanel Banawo, who served as a police officer for 39 years before being dismissed after he was found with drugs at his home, was running a criminal cartel and attempted to capture district police commissioner of uMzinyathi
Roshanel Banawo was sentenced on Wednesday at the Newcastle Regional Court.
Image: Supplied| KZN Police
A former Dundee police captain turned cartel leader, who plotted to assassinate a police general after she refused to be "captured" by him, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment after he was found guilty of conspiracy to kill.
Roshanel Banawo, 63, was sentenced in the Newcastle Regional Court on Wednesday.
The court heard that he had made three attempts to kill the district police commissioner of uMzinyathi, Major General Francis Slambert, from May to August 2023.
“The court heard that Banawo attempted, on three occasions, to assassinate the district commissioner of uMzinyathi, Major General Francis Slambert for both personal reasons and reasons related to Slambert's work," said KZN police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshuinda.
“Banawo, who served as a police officer for 39 years before being dismissed after he was found with drugs at his home, was running a criminal cartel and attempted to capture Slambert."
Netshuinda said as a commander dedicated to her work, Slambert refused to be captured and Banawo ordered two hitmen to kill her.
Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, the regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), said between May to 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 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,” she said.
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 also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
“The NPA welcomes the successful finalisation of this matter. 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,” added Ramkisson-Kara.