How Pretoria Woman Killed Her 2 Boyfriends And Own 17-Year-Old Son
A 47-year-old Pretoria woman has been sentenced to three life terms after she bludgeoned one boyfriend with a hammer, poisoned and drowned another, and then murdered her own teenage son when he tried to blackmail her over the buried bodies.
Pamela Ncumisa Selani’s reign of terror stretched from 2016 to 2018, with three victims stacked on top of each other in a shallow backyard grave. The truth only emerged in 2020 when her younger son confessed to a traditional healer that restless spirits were haunting their home.
The Hammer Attack That Started It All
The nightmare began in 2016 when Selani discovered she had HIV. She blamed her Malawian boyfriend, Michael Changisa.
Her surviving son testified she recruited her other boyfriend, Zimbabwean Michael Phiri, to help kill Changisa.
“He saw the deceased mentioned in count 2 hiding inside the toilet with a hammer waiting for the deceased mentioned in count 1 to arrive home.”
Changisa arrived home intoxicated. Phiri attacked him with a hammer from behind.
“The deceased was left on the bed for a period of approximately two weeks and he eventually died. He never received any medical attention.”
Phiri dug a hole in the yard. They buried Changisa and Phiri moved in with Selani and her two sons.
Poison And Drowning For The Second Boyfriend
By 2017, tensions rose between Phiri and Selani’s 17-year-old son. They decided to kill him.
“They agreed that they will put poison in the deceased’s food and beer. They had rat poison called ‘halephirimi’ with them and the accused put that poison in the deceased’s food.”
“A few minutes later foam came out of the mouth of the deceased, and he could no longer maintain his balance. The deceased mentioned in count 3 then filled the dustbin with water and they put the head of the deceased mentioned in count 2 inside the dustbin which was filled with water, and he could no longer breathe.”
Phiri’s body was buried in the exact same hole – directly on top of Changisa.
Mother Kills Son Who Tried To Expose Her
In 2018, the teenage son started using drugs and demanding money. He blackmailed his mother.
“The deceased mentioned in count 3 said that if he does not get money he will go to the police and tell them about people buried in their yard.”
The blackmail continued for months. In November 2018, Selani crept back into the house while he slept.
“She came back with a hammer and assaulted the deceased many times with it on his head, his blood was all over the house.”
But he was still breathing. She sent her other son to fetch a brick.
“She assaulted the deceased in count 3 with it on his head and he died.”
The body was buried on top of the two previous victims. Selani told everyone her son had gone to Cape Town.
Spirits Reveal The Truth
In 2020, Selani’s younger son fell ill. A traditional healer took him to the bushes for rituals.
“He reported to Mr Tshuma about what was happening in their yard. Mr Tshuma said that the truth must be told.”
The healer alerted police, who exhumed three bodies from the backyard. Forensic tests found blunt force trauma on two skulls. The third showed no injuries – consistent with poisoning.
Three Life Sentences
On 29 July 2024, Judge Mosopa sentenced Selani to life for each murder, plus five years for defeating justice.
“From the evidence, it is clear that the murders were well planned in advance and not committed on the spur of the moment.”
Selani’s surviving son, now 21, testified against her. He had tried to report the murders in 2018 but police chased him away. He left school in grade 10 because he could not cope.
Selani exercised her right to remain silent and did not testify in her defence.