The Maletswai Magistrate’s Court in Eastern Cape has adjourned the case of Anelle de Bruin, a 46-year-old woman accused of planning her husband’s murder under the guise of a staged farm attack.
The court set April 23 as the new hearing date to allow investigators to complete outstanding reports, including statements, photo evidence, and cellphone records.
De Bruin was arrested on January 9 on charges of conspiracy to commit murder. She made a brief court appearance on Wednesday and remains free on R2,000 bail with restrictions preventing her from returning to the farm.
However, she is allowed supervised visits with her children.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Luxolo Tyali, police were tipped off by a middleman whom De Bruin had allegedly approached to hire hitmen.
Investigations revealed that she had already made an initial payment and promised to pay the balance once her husband was murdered, and she received insurance payouts.
Authorities claim that De Bruin gave specific instructions to the hitmen, directing them to shoot her husband, kill the family’s dogs, and damage the vehicle’s tyres to make the attack appear as a violent farm invasion.
She allegedly also informed the middleman about the estimated response time of neighboring farmers to an emergency call.
“It is alleged that she stood to inherit more than R50 million in the event of her husband’s death,” Tyali stated.