A Pretoria couple convicted of murdering the woman's ex-boyfriend for insurance money had their sentencing postponed on Monday. Sibusiso and Lerato Mahlangu were due to be sentenced, but the court adjourned the matter to Tuesday. The postponement came after Sibusiso cited illness and requested further consultation with a social worker involved in the presentencing report.
A Pretoria couple convicted of premeditated murder and fraud for plotting the death of the woman's ex-boyfriend for insurance money will learn their fate on Tuesday. Sibusiso Mahlangu , 34, and Lerato Mahlangu , 33, from Soshanguve were scheduled to face sentencing proceedings on Monday, but the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria , postponed the matter to Tuesday.
This followed Sibusiso's claim of feeling unwell and his request for further consultation with a social worker who had prepared a presentencing report on his personal circumstances. The couple was found guilty in November 2022 following the death of Sibusiso Sithebe, who had previously been in a romantic relationship with Lerato and with whom they share a child. On January 2, 2022, the Mahlangu couple lured Sithebe to their Soshanguve home, where they killed him and subsequently burned his body. Days after the incident, Lerato submitted three fraudulent insurance claims to Old Mutual, where she worked as a sales consultant. She exploited Sithebe's body, falsely claiming it was Sibusiso who had died, and secured over R500,000 in insurance payouts. The narrative presented was that Sibusiso had perished in a fire at the couple's residence. Truth unraveled approximately a year later when Sibusiso was apprehended at a roadblock in Hammanskraal for car theft. This led to the revelation that Lerato had misrepresented Sithebe's body as that of her husband, allowing her to collect R575,000 in death and funeral benefits in her husband's name. In court, the couple maintained their innocence, denying any involvement in the crimes. As part of the state's case, led by Advocate Vusumuzi Tshabalala, several witnesses were called, including Sibusiso's mother. She provided testimony regarding events leading up to the funeral, highlighting their inability to view the body extensively due to Covid-19 regulations. Ultimately, Judge Papi Masopa determined that while the state relied on circumstantial evidence, it successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. Judge Masopa concluded that the only logical explanation was that Sibusiso had placed his ring on the deceased's finger to disguise the body as his own. He also ruled that Lerato had conspired with her husband to murder Sithebe, motivated by the financial gain from the insurance proceeds
Murder Fraud Insurance Sentencing Pretoria Couple Sibusiso Mahlangu Lerato Mahlangu Soshanguve Sibusiso Sithebe
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