A Strand woman, her former partner and a third woman are in court for allegedly trying to fake her death to cash in on a life insurance policy worth R3.6 million.
Hanelie Nel, 48, Doretha Kotze, 57, and Charlene van Graan, 37, appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court, where they are facing a charge of fraud.
It is the State’s case that Nel and Kotze concocted the plan to draw up a fake death certificate registered in Nel’s name in order to get their hands on a R3.6m Liberty Life payout.
Kotze was listed as Nel’s beneficiary in the policy. They were alleged to have listed the cause of death as a heart attack.
Van Graan, who worked as a clerk at Avbob Funeral and Assurance Services at the time, was allegedly persuaded to issue the fake death certificate last March and was told by the pair that she would be paid.
When the death certificate was handed to Liberty Life the finance house called in the police, who determined that Nel was alive.
She was arrested on October 26 last year and Van Graan, 37, of Pniel, was apprehended the next day. Kotze handed herself over after she read that police were searching for her.
In court on Thursday, a warrant of arrest was issued for Kotze, who now lives in Bultfontein in the Free State. The court heard that she failed to appear on Thursday because she did not have the funds to travel to Cape Town.
Kotze was released on R1 000 bail in November.
The court heard that Kotze had co-operated with police and was not a danger to society.
Magistrate Jasthree Steyn authorised a warrant for Kotze’s arrest but held it over until her next scheduled court appearance.
He asked that Legal Aid lawyer Chantal Gillion, representing the women, tell Kotze that she could not use lack of funds as an excuse for not coming to court.
If she had a problem, her bail could be withdrawn.
Nel and Van Graan were each released on R3 000 bail.
The matter was postponed for further investigation because the original insurance contract, death registration document and witness statements still had to be obtained.
The women are due back in court on April 10.
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