Anelle de Bruin, 48, appeared in the Aliwal-Noord regional court in the Eastern Cape on Monday for her trial. She is accused of conspiring to have her husband murdered and making it look like a farm attack. The state's key witness, whose name cannot be published due to a court order, testified that De Bruin had planned to have her husband killed and had offered him R4,400 as a deposit for a hitman.
The key witness told the court that he had previously borrowed money from De Bruin on multiple occasions, with records showing at least 43 messages where he asked her for money. The witness claimed he needed the money for his business in natural medicine and to see a specialist for a serious medical condition. However, De Bruin's defense lawyer, Adv. Allen Simpson, accused the witness of trying to swindle De Bruin and questioned his credibility.
Simpson presented evidence that the R4,400 deposited into the witness's bank account was mostly spent on cellphone airtime and groceries within two days of being received. The witness admitted the money was spent but claimed he had kept it safe since then. Simpson also questioned why the witness did not hand the money over to the police as evidence, to which the witness replied that he did not think it was obvious to do so.
The witness revealed that he and De Bruin had used the codename "Herman" to refer to the hitman in their murder plans. However, Simpson pointed out that this detail was not mentioned in the witness's previous statements or in the video recording he made of De Bruin outlining the murder plan. The witness claimed that De Bruin had multiple plans to get rid of her husband and that he had tried to dissuade her.
De Bruin's defense team argued that the witness had manipulated the situation to his advantage and had made the video recording to trap De Bruin. The witness denied this, stating that he had realized De Bruin was serious about her plans and had decided to go to the police. The trial will continue on Tuesday.
The case has raised questions about the credibility of the state's key witness and the motives behind his actions. De Bruin's husband, Johan, was reportedly the target of the alleged murder plot. The court heard that De Bruin had made a video recording of herself outlining the murder plan, which was obtained by the police.
The trial is ongoing, and the court will hear further evidence and testimony in the coming days.
Key points
- Anelle de Bruin, 48, is accused of plotting to murder her former husband and making it look like a farm attack.
- The state's key witness claimed that De Bruin had offered him R4,400 as a deposit for a hitman and that they had used the codename "Herman" to refer to the hitman.
- De Bruin's defense team has questioned the credibility of the state's key witness, accusing him of trying to swindle De Bruin and manipulating the situation to his advantage.
