‘Rosemary’s Hitlist’ documentary drops next month

Showmax recently released the preview for Rosemary’s Hitlist, a Showmax original documentary series centred around Nomia Rosemary Ndlovu, a former police officer turned serial killer.

Rosemary’s Hitlist is created by IdeaCandy, the same company responsible for the acclaimed true-crime hit Devilsdorp, and it is directed by Valen’tino Mathibela (known for directing the first season of The Real Housewives of Durban and Lebo M – Coming Home).

Consulting director Richard Gregory, a SAFTA winner for Steinheist, also contributed to the project.

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Rosemary Ndlovu

On 12 October 2015, Nomia Rosemary Ndlovu’s partner and the father of her child, Yingwani Maurice Mabasa, disappeared from their shared residence.

Just three days later, his body was discovered in Olifantsfontein, showing signs of 76 stab wounds. Surprisingly, Mabasa had 16 insurance policies worth more than R400 000 in his name with Ndlovu listed as the sole beneficiary.

These payouts were not the first instances of suspicious deaths linked to Ndlovu. In 2021, she was ultimately sentenced to six consecutive life terms for not only Mabasa’s murder but also for the killings of five members of her own family, including her sister, two nephews, a niece, and a cousin.

The total value of their life insurance policies, known as “killsurance,” amounted to over R1.4 million, all of which would have been received by Ndlovu.

Plot of ‘Rosemary’s Hitlist’

Rosemary’s Hitlist takes viewers between two significant locations in Ndlovu’s life: New Forest Village in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, her childhood hometown; and Tembisa, where she held a position as a law enforcement officer.

The documentary, consisting of four parts, includes remarkable footage from her trial, during which she garnered attention and speculation for seemingly relishing the spotlight.

In Rosemary’s Hitlist, interviews are conducted with key individuals involved in the case, such as Sergeant Keshi Mabunda, the investigating officer, and Colonel Nthipe L Boloka, Ndlovu’s former station commander at Tembisa South Police Station. It is worth noting that Ndlovu faced accusations of attempting to assassinate both Mabunda and Boloka while in prison.

Additional individuals interviewed for the documentary include Advocate Riana Williams, who served as Ndlovu’s prosecutor, and Everson Luhanga, the editor at large for Scrolla.Africa, the news outlet that initially broke the story.

Furthermore, family members of both Ndlovu and Mabasa, their landlord, and Ndlovu’s former school teacher also provide their insights and perspectives.

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Valen’tino Mathibela relates personally to the story

Valen’tino discusses the motivation and inspiration that drove her to create this narrative.

“I grew up in a village and have cousins who work in Bushbuckridge.

“We feel safe around men and women in blue and even safer around family members. The last thing we expect is for them to plot to kill us,” she says.

Mathibela says the twists following this court case will shock you as a viewer.

“Even if you followed the court case, the twists we found in this documentary will shock you. She really is a larger-than-life character in a stranger-than-fiction story. You could never script this stuff,” added Mathibela.

Rosemary’s Hitlist premieres first on Showmax on 14 June, with new episodes on Thursdays.  

Watch the trailer below:

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