Soshanguve Couple Found Guilty of Killing Woman’s Ex-Boyfriend for Insurance

• A couple who was on trial for killing the woman's ex-lover was found guilty of the murder
• The couple was arrested in 2023 after the husband was caught driving the car belonging to the deceased's ex-boyfriend
• South Africans on social media celebrated the guilty verdict, and many noted that crime did not pay

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered criminal activities, police investigations, police shootouts and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.

SOSHANGUVE — A couple from Soshanguve in Gauteng were found guilty of killing the woman's ex-boyfriend for an insurance payout.

Soshanguve couple guilty of murder

According to SowetanLIVE, Lerato Mahlangu and her husband Sibusiso were convicted on 19 November 2024 at the Pretoria High Court. Judge Mokhine Masopa said that although they claimed that the deceased was not at their house when he died in a fire, evidence pointed that he died at their house.

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The court revealed that Lerato lured her ex-boyfriend, Sibusiso Sithebe, to her and her husband's house. They then killed him and burned his body. She then claimed that his body was her husband's body and received a half-million rand insurance payout. The pair claimed they had alibis but could not get them to testify in court. They were found guilty based on circumstantial evidence.

South Africans happy for sentence

Netizens commenting on the case on Facebook celebrated the sentence.

Amanda Promise Hiliza said:

"Jail time."

Bhekumuzi Ndlovu said:

"Thabo Bester and Nandipha from Temu."

Leonard Nyandoro Muzunze said:

"Crime does not pay."

Bongani Masango said:

"Consequences of being morally bankrupt."

Chrimuak Mkc said:

"The level of stupidity in this country is beyond understanding, and you will blame foreigners."

Police officer arrested for insurance murder

In a related article, Briefly News reported that a Limpopo-based South African Police Service officer was arrested for insurance-related murders.

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She reportedly committed six murders between 2000 and 2024 with the help of her sister and her daughter. The increasing rate of murder-for-insurance incidents took aback South Africans, as this was the second instance where an officer was arrested for insurance murder.

Source: Briefly News