The Pretoria High Court revealed a chilling insurance scam orchestrated by Sibusiso Mahlangu and his wife, Lerato, culminating in murd3r and deception in a shocking twist.
The couple’s sinister plan involved the murd3r of Lerato’s lover, Sibusiso Sithebe, and an audacious assumption of identity for financial gain.
In January 2022, Mahlangu confessed to the murd3r of Sithebe.
He and Lerato concocted a deadly scheme in which she lured Sithebe to their home, where Mahlangu then k!lled him.
After the murd3r, they proceeded to burn Sithebe’s body, effectively destroying evidence.
To carry out their plot, Mahlangu and Lerato presented the charred remains as those of Mahlangu himself.
Lerato subsequently identified the body as her husband’s, obtained a d3ath certificate in his name, and successfully claimed a staggering R575,000 from a life insurance policy.
An unsettling twist to the story unfolded when Mahlangu, now presumed d3ad, watched his own funeral on Facebook as his family mourned him, completely oblivious to the truth.
After receiving the insurance payout, the couple escaped to Mpumalanga, traveling under the cover of night to evade detection.
They made significant purchases with the money, including a car that cost R200,000, which they bought using part of the insurance funds. Lerato explained how they handled the money:
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“I opened an account under one of his daughters’ names and then took my share. I gave him a card with R150,000. He told me he had found a car online, and we bought it from a Pretoria dealership for R200,000.”
To further distance themselves from their previous lives, Mahlangu instructed his daughters to call him ‘Angel’ instead of ‘Daddy’ to prevent family members from recognizing him.
Lerato recounted how he fabricated a narrative, telling the children that he was away protecting them from perceived threats.
Finally, on the day of his court appearance, Mahlangu admitted his involvement in the heinous acts. “I take full responsibility. I am the one who committed the crime and I am really sorry to the family of Sithebe. I am not proud of what I have done,” he stated.
Sentencing has been postponed to February 12, pending the availability of Lerato’s lawyer, Ledile Mphela, leaving many eager to see the consequences of their sh0cking actions unfold.