Cape Town - The Kenilworth woman accused of trying to secure a contract killer to murder her husband is set to spend the weekend at Pollsmoor Prison before her unopposed bail application on Monday.
The State has confirmed it would not oppose the release of Petina Philda Coetzee on bail, but needed to ascertain she was not a flight risk as she had two passports.
Coetzee’s alleged plan was quashed by police on Monday when she was caught handing the hitmen an undisclosed amount of money in the parking lot of the Lansdowne railway station. The alleged would-be target was her husband of nine years, with whom she has a three-year-old son.
During her brief first appearance in Courtroom 4 of the Wynberg Magistrate's Court on Thursday, a weary looking Coetzee, who appeared to have been crying, clutched a tissue in her right hand as she made her way into the dock.
“Are you English- or Afrikaans-speaking?” magistrate Goolam Bawa asked.
“English,” Coetzee answered softly, staring straight ahead.
State advocate Christiaan de Jongh informed the court Coetzee had been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and asked the case be postponed until Monday.
“We ask that the accused be remanded in custody until October 24 so that the alternative address she has given be verified,” De Jongh said.
Coetzee's eyes moved from the magistrate to the floor as though she was disappointed.
“We also understand she has two passports in her name and those would also need to be handed in before we can discuss bail,” he added.
De Jongh said the State would not oppose bail if these conditions are met because they have to prove Coetzee is not a flight risk.
Coetzee’s lawyer, Labiek Samuels, reluctantly agreed the matter be postponed, but later said his client was not happy she would spend the weekend in jail.
Coetzee is being held at the medical section of Pollsmoor Prison.
Police pounced on Coetzee as she was allegedly finalising the deal to have her husband killed.
Police spokeswoman Noloyiso Rwexana said: “Fortunately, swift action by detectives prevented the assassination of the would-be victim and his 44-year-old wife was arrested.
“Following information received of allegations of a conspiracy to commit murder, a joint investigation was conducted by the Provincial Detective Unit and the Manenberg Serious and Violent Crimes Investigation Unit.”
Rwexana said Coetzee was arrested “when a sting operation was conducted in the parking area of the railway station, where a woman (Coetzee) handed over an undisclosed amount of money to hitmen to allegedly have her husband assassinated”.
Cape Argus