Pretoria Woman Sentenced to Life for the Murders of Two Boyfriends and Son

• Ncumisa Selani was sentenced to three life terms for murdering her two boyfriends and 17-year-old son
• The murders are linked to an HIV diagnosis and a violent relationship with her second partner
• The cruelty was uncovered after Selani's younger son revealed the killings to a traditional healer

Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.

GAUTENG, PRETORIA - The Pretoria High Court has sentenced Ncumisa Selani to three life terms for murdering her two boyfriends and her 17-year-old son between 2016 and 2018.

Woman kills boyfriends and son

Prosecutors said the killings began in 2016 after Selani discovered she had contracted HIV and blamed her Malawian boyfriend, Michael Changisa. They said she contacted another partner, Zimbabwean national Michael Phiri, and persuaded him to eliminate Changisa. Changisa was killed and buried in the backyard of Selani's home. In 2017, Phiri moved into the house with Selani and her two sons. The relationship later turned violent. The State said Selani and her 17-year-old son killed Phiri and buried him on top of Changisa's grave.

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In 2018, the teenage son allegedly began abusing drugs and blackmailing his mother, threatening to expose the killings unless she gave him money. Prosecutors said Selani then killed her son and buried him in the same grave as the two men. The crimes came to light in 2020 after Selani's younger son fell ill. During a consultation with a traditional healer, the boy revealed details of the killings, believing spirits were linked to his illness. The healer alerted police. Investigators exhumed the remains from the yard. Selani was arrested and has now received three life sentences.

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Briefly News also reported that South Africans applauded the arrest of a woman who was allegedly involved in the murder of an e-hailing driver. This incident went viral and caused outrage for its brutality. The horrific incident took place in Tshwane West on 11 February 2026. The police stated that the woman and her male accomplice allegedly requested the services of an e-hailing driver. However, the ride quickly became violent as the suspects attempted to hijack the driver. A struggle between the driver and one of the suspects ensued, and he was strangled to death.

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The High Court in Pretoria found three farmers from the North West guilty of murdering a farm dweller in 2023. South Africans welcomed the verdict and called for them to receive the strictest punishment the law could hand down. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) posted the verdict on its Facebook page, The National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa, on 18 February 2026.

The murder of an African National Congress (ANC) councillor in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has sparked a debate online and calls for the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) to investigate the matter. Sipho Simiso Dlamini, an ANC branch convener and councillor in the eThekwini region, was shot and killed on the night of 21 February 2026.

Source: Briefly News