THE wife who was convicted alongside her husband for murdering her lover in order to cash-in on insurance money by pretending it was her husband who had died, became emotional as she testified how she had to lie to family members about his death. Lerato Mahlangu entering the dock on Wednesday
THE wife convicted alongside her husband for murdering her lover in order to cash-in on insurance money by pretending it was her husband who had died, cried bitterly as she testified how she had to maintain the lie to their families.
She told the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, on Wednesday how she told their children not to tell anyone that the husband was still alive, as it was “their secret”.
Lerato Mahlangu, 34, was testifying in mitigation of sentence.
Sibusiso Mahlangu, 35, and Lerato from Soshanguve had been convicted of murder and fraud charges in November last year, for the murder of Lerato’s former partner Sibusiso Sithebe.
They had a child together before she got married to her co-accused in 2018.
She told the court Wednesday that she and the deceased, however, had an affair in January 2022, at the time of the murder. According to her, she had told her husband about the affair and he was very upset.
She and the deceased went out for lunch on the day of the incident and she said her husband then phoned her to tell her she had to bring the deceased home, so that he could have a “man to man talk”.
Lerato said her husband had threatened to kill her if she did not do as he said. She only told the deceased her husband was home once they were near the house.
Once at home, her husband told her to leave and she went back to the guesthouse where she and the deceased had been having lunch earlier in the day.
Lerato testified that she waited for her husband to call her to tell her to come home, but when he did not, she returned home.
She saw their house was engulfed in smoke and that there were people standing around. When asked by someone who was inside the house, she said it was her husband, although she knew that the deceased was also there when she left.
She went to the bedroom and as it was dark and smokey, she could only identify the wedding band her husband wore on the finger of the body on the bed. Lerato said she assumed it was her husband who had burnt to death.
After the funeral, she suddenly got a call at Old Mutual - where she worked. It was her husband who told her “I am back.” Lerato said she got such a fright that she had put the phone down.
But he phoned her again and demanded to see her. They met at a mall where he told her “you see what you make me do.”
“He told me that it was my fault that the deceased was dead. He said it was either me or the deceased who was going to die and he spared my life.”
According to her, he then asked her about the insurance money. She said she only received the funeral costs, but he demanded that she also obtain the insurance money, as she had taken out insurance on his life.
“He said I had to repay him for saving my life. He also demanded to see the children. I told him they believe he is dead, but he said I had to make a plan.”
Lerato then told the children that someone had attacked him in the house and that he had fled, fearing for his life. She told them not to tell anyone that he was still alive, as it was “their secret.”
The couple will be sentenced Thursday.
Cape Times