Former Limpopo police officer Rachel Kutumela, along with her sister Annah Shokane and daughter Flora Shokane, has been denied bail by the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court.

The three women are facing 32 charges, including murder, money laundering, defeating the ends of justice, and insurance fraud. Their court appearance on Tuesday followed a renewed bail application, after they had abandoned an earlier attempt last year during cross-examination.

It is alleged that Kutumela and her sister fraudulently claimed payouts from funeral insurance policies taken out for multiple people. Financial institutions including ABSA, Standard Bank, Capitec, and Old Mutual reportedly paid out an estimated R10 million.

Magistrate Godfrey Netshiozwi ruled that releasing the accused could endanger witnesses, as their identities may already be known to the trio. He noted that a large portion of the insurance money was never used for funerals, but instead for the personal benefit of the accused.

The matter has been postponed, and the accused will remain in custody as investigations continue.