An Eastern Cape woman and her 21-year-old boyfriend will spend their lives in prison plotting the murder of her husband to benefit from his pension money.
The Maluti Regional Court on Thursday sentenced Vuyelwa Bhalawese, 46, and Siyanda Majola to life in prison for the murder of the woman’s 59-year-old husband, Gcobani Nyokana.
It is alleged that the two lovebirds killed the husband in order for the woman to access the deceased’s pensions and enjoy them with her boyfriend.
Bhalawese had an affair with Majola, and the couple stayed in Matatiele while the husband worked in Gauteng, where he was due to retire when he turned 60.
"The husband would send money for the maintenance of their home in the Lukholweni location in the Eastern Cape and send R12,000 for the wife to buy sheep a few months before he was killed," NPA regional spokesperson, Luxolo Tyali said.
"When he returned home, he found that the sheep had not been bought and started questioning his wife. It was then that Bhalawese and her boyfriend conspired to kill him," Tyali said.
Tyali further added that the duo was overheard by Bhalawese’s 17-year-old nephew saying the man’s death would mean the wife, who does not have a child with the deceased, would inherit his pensions.
On June 13, 2022, Nyokana was attacked and killed with a blunt object in his home by Majola, with the help of his brother. Bhalawase’s nephew managed to identify the accused, and they were arrested a few days after the murder.
Majola's brother was granted immunity for helping the police solve the premeditated murder.
Tyali said that during the trial, the two had pleaded not guilty and raised alibis that state advocate Chumile Mkentane managed to successfully invalidate.
"The court agreed with the prosecutor’s submission that there were no compelling circumstances for deviating from the prescribed minimum sentence of life for premeditated murder, and it further found that the crime was motivated by greed," Tyali said.
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