The case against alleged insurance killer Segomotsi Agnes Setshwantsho has been moved to the North West High Court in Mahikeng for a pre-trial hearing on July 22.
Setshwantsho is accused of poisoning her niece to cash in on an insurance policy worth over R3 million.
She has been charged with murder, two counts of fraud, and one count of defeating the ends of justice. She was arrested in November 2023 following an intelligence operation prompted by suspicions raised by family members.
Setshwantsho was traced and arrested in Centurion during a take-down operation led by the SAPS in collaboration with an insurance company.
She has been held behind bars since her arrest after the Molopo Magistrate’s Court denied her bail in January 2024.
Prosecutor Jessica Molefe told the court that they are ready to proceed with the trial in a higher court following approval from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
National South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, said Sergeant Keshi Mabunda and a team of detectives worked on the case following a tip-off from relatives of this suspect.
Mabunda was roped in to kick-start investigations due to his expertise in solving similar case.
Evidence presented in court revealed that Setshwantsho had insured at least 40 of her extended family members with five different insurance companies. Some reports indicate that she has benefited from 58 separate insurance policies over the years.
In providing reasons for denying bail, Mabunda stated that records showed Setshwantsho was the last person to be seen with her son. He also noted that records indicated she purchased burgers for them while they were travelling from Cape Town for the July holidays.
Allegedly, she had insured her son for R6 million.
Police are also investigating the deaths of her husband, two daughters, and her son.
sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za
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