A Soshanguve couple accused of faking the husband’s death abandoned its application for bail during an appearance in court on Thursday.
Sibusiso Mahlangu and Lerato Mahlangu face charges of premeditated murder, defeating the ends of justice and fraud.
The lovebirds are said to have killed a man, burnt his body and then claimed a death certificate using Sibusiso’s name to allegedly claim life insurance.
Lumka Mahanjana, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, said: “It is alleged that on 2 January 2022, the couple killed a man and burnt the body of the deceased at their house in Block HH in Soshanguve.
“Thereafter, it is further alleged that Lerato obtained a fraudulent death certificate from the Department of Home Affairs claiming that her husband died in a fire. She later claimed life policies.”
The couple, likened to Thabo Bester and his accomplice girlfriend Nandipha Magudumana, was nabbed in April in Hammanskraal outside Pretoria.
At the time of their arrest, Sibusiso was found in possession of a stolen vehicle, and it later emerged that he was registered as deceased.
The couple is set to appear at the Hammanskraal magistrate’s court on May 29 for charges relating to a stolen car.
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