An Eastern Cape couple who hired three people to kill their domestic worker and her boyfriend for an insurance payout have been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Shocking details of the brutal murder emerged in the Eastern Cape High Court, sitting in Nxuba (formerly Cradock).
The five accused are: Zizipho Pani, 34, her husband Siyathemba James, 39, hitman Sinethemba Pani, 34, Sizwesethu Jonas, 34, and 19-year-old Masixole Sokoyi.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said before the crimes were committed, the couple had employed the victim as their domestic helper.
She had been living in the same area in Nxuba.
“The mastermind, Zizipho Pani, acquired funeral policies on the life of the victim with Standard Bank and Absa Bank in 2021. In the event of her death, the policy…