Family scoffs at killer's confession

The relatives of a man who was murdered three years ago for insurance money believes the about-turn and confession by one of the accused on the day he was expected to be sentenced is a ploy to get a lenient sentence.

Sibusiso Sithebe's brother Xolani Sithebe was reacting to Sibusiso Mahlangu's confession during mitigation of sentence in the Pretoria high court on Tuesday.

In his confession to the January 1 2022 murder in Soshanguve, north of Pretoria, Mahlangu said he had acted alone and had ordered his wife, Lerato, to make some calls afterward or "she would suffer the same consequences".

He told the court: "This is probably the last chance I get to speak for myself. Yesterday [Monday], I got a chance to look back and I prayed to God to give me wisdom and courage to do the right thing. I think it's fair that I take responsibility for what I have done. It is my fault.

"My life's been so difficult and I think it's only fair I take full responsibility for what I've done and for what happened. I am the one that committed the crime and I am truly, truly sorry to the fam[ily] for your loss."

I told her who to call and what to do and I told her that if she did not, she would suffer the same consequences [as Sithebe].

—  Sibusiso Mahlangu

In November, Mahlangu and Lerato were found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, murder and three counts of fraud. According to the state, the couple conspired to kill Sithebe so they could benefit financially. This was because Lerato had identified the charred body of Sithebe as that of her husband, and then cashed out R575,000 from an insurance policy.

As he detailed his confession, Mahlangu kept swiveling in the witness box. And, just a few metres away from where he was sitting, Lerato appeared to have not been touched by the confession, as she kept giggling when her husband was grilled by the state about the timing of his confession.

In the gallery, Sithebe's relatives shed tears as they listened to Mahlangu speak about how he killed their loved one, put his [Mahlangu] wedding ring on him [Sithebe], and set the house on fire to give police the impression he [Mahlangu] was the one who had died.

Mahlangu told the court he forced his wife to come with Sithebe to the house on the night in question. When the pair arrived, he told Lerato to leave the house and wait for his call.

He said after the murder, he went to Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, where he watched as "his funeral" proceedings were being posted on Facebook. "After [the insurance payout], I took the card [to withdraw money] and I spent the money alone," Mahlangu said

He told the court he forced Lerato to be involved  in the crime. “I told her who to call and what to do and I told her that if she did not, she would suffer the same consequences [as Sithebe]."

Mahlangu was arrested in April 2023 by Hammanskraal police for driving in a stolen car. His fingerprints were taken and revealed that he had "died". The arrest helped police solve the mysterious death that happened at the Mahlangus' home on New Year's Day in 2022.

He then made a confession to police regarding the killing but in court denied committing the crime. This led to a trial-within-a-trial, with the court ruling that the confession statement was admissible.

Xolani said he was not convinced that Mahlangu's confession was genuine.

"He's looking for that [a lenient sentence]. He is not sorry at all, I doubt he is. This thing [murder] was planned and they knew what they were doing.

"I don't think Lerato was forced [to do anything]. She took the life of the father of their daughter. That is an act of an animal ... not a human [being]. Only an animal can do that,” said Xolani, who called for life imprisonment for the couple.

Earlier in the day, probation officer Thokozani Mbatha recommended a heavy sentence for Mahlangu, noting his role in the crime and lack of and remorse for what he did.

Another probation officer, Belezwa Tunzi, who assessed Lerato in two interviews, told the court she also showed no remorse and still maintained her innocence.

Lerato is expected to take the witness box on Wednesday in mitigation for her sentence.

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