Pretoria, Gauteng – A Soshanguve couple, Sibusiso and Lerato Mahlangu, were found guilty of murdering Lerato’s ex-boyfriend, Sibusiso Sithebe, as part of a plot to fake Sibusiso Mahlangu’s death and claim life insurance benefits, the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ruled on Tuesday.
The scheme began in January 2022 when a fire broke out at the Mahlangu’s RDP home in Soshanguve Block HH, Tshwane. Authorities initially believed that Sibusiso Mahlangu had perished in the blaze, but a year later, he was pulled over by police in Hammanskraal. The body recovered from the fire was eventually identified as Sibusiso Sithebe, Lerato’s ex-boyfriend. It was revealed that Lerato had fraudulently claimed R575,000 in life insurance and funeral benefits by passing off Sithebe’s remains as her husband’s.
The couple was convicted of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and fraud. Sibusiso Mahlangu initially told police that an intruder had broken into the home, and he killed the person in self-defence. However, he later recanted, claiming police had coerced his confession. In court, he admitted to leaving Soshanguve after learning about his wife’s affair with Sithebe.
Judge Mokhine Mosopa, however, found that the circumstantial evidence pointed overwhelmingly to Sibusiso Mahlangu’s involvement in Sithebe’s death. The court noted that Sithebe was found wearing Mahlangu’s wedding ring and boxers, suggesting that Mahlangu had dressed Sithebe in these items to pass the body off as his own.
The judge also found that Lerato Mahlangu had conspired with her husband, pointing to testimony from a family friend, Chande Themba, who stated that Lerato had sent him R1,000 to set up a car wash business in Mpumalanga after her husband’s supposed death. Themba also testified that the couple remained in contact with him during his trip.
“The accused’s testimonies were just a fabrication and full of lies and contradictions,” Judge Mosopa said.