Cape Town – An application for an amendment to the bail conditions of Petina Coetzee, accused of hiring a hitman to kill her husband, was heard at the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
Coetzee is alleged to have wanted to pay a hitman R200 000 to kill Austin Coetzee.
She is out on bail with conditions, and was denied direct or indirect contact with her husband.
It was reported that he made representations to the State asking for bail conditions to be relaxed and criminal charges against his wife dropped.
Defence lawyer William Booth said an application for an amendment would be lodged.
“My client requests she be allowed back to her family home in Kenilworth and to make contact with her two minor children.”
Booth said the older child now had to take care of the younger one which interfered with his school work.
Booth said even Coetzee’s husband wanted her back in the interest of the children. He said Austin had written numerous letters asking for his wife to come home.
“The children are suffering, we can have the conditions monitored by feedback from the complainant and the investigating officer,” he said.
State prosecutor Christian de Jongh said the State was opposing the application. “Bail conditions are there for a purpose.”
He said the husband was a witness and he might be unduly influenced if his wife was home.
De Jongh said the husband had indicated that he wanted to reconcile with his wife.
He said the children could reside with their mother but she did not need to be in the same house as her husband.
Magistrate Goolam Bawa said he had not read the documents so he was unable to pass a judgment.
The matter was postponed to May 4 for bail renegotiations.
In the interim, bail conditions remained the same, said Bawa.