Bail application for woman accused of killing family for life insurance postponed

The Molopo Magistrate’s Court in Mahikeng has postponed Agnes Setshwantsho’s bail application to 20 December.

Setshwantsho, the woman accused of murdering her family members for an insurance payout, appeared in court today, where lead investigator Keshi Mabunda continued with his testimony in which he is opposing her bail.

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Mabunda has previously told the court Setshwantsho had taken policies for at least 40 of her extended family members at five different insurance companies

During her second court appearance last Friday, the state opposed bail on the basis that the accused was a flight risk and had previously evaded arrest.

He testified that the accused provided a false address when she was profiled. The same address was discovered to have been provided to the insurance companies she registered with.

Mabunda, who said he would complete his investigations in two months, told the court they were going to exhume her husband, who passed away in 2016, her daughter who died in 2016 and another one who died in 2005.

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“All these people were insured by her, so more serious charges will be added,” he said.

Setshwantsho’s medical condition

Setshwantsho has argued, through her lawyer Nhlanhla Mahlangu, that she is applying for bail, saying she has high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes.

She said she was diabetic and that her medication should be kept in a fridge, hence the application for bail as she doubted the facility where she is being kept can store her medication.

“Saps never assisted me with my medication. I only got my medication with the help of correctional services,” she said.

Asked by her defence lawyer if Saps facilities would be able to keep Setshwantsho’s medication while she remained in custody, Mabunda told the court: “I went to the facility at Mahikeng and spoke to an official there, who also deposed an affidavit.

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“She took me to the dispensary where she has all her medicine and even showed me where they’re keeping her insulin inside a refrigerator and further said to me at night they put her insulin in a cooler box. So they’re capable of keeping her medicine. She is a healthcare clerk there.

“She can come and corroborate my statements since she deposed of an affidavit.”

Setshwantsho confirmed on Wednesday she had been able to take her insulin shots before her court appearance with the help of correctional services.

The North West woman was arrested on 16 November on allegations she murdered her relatives to benefit from insurance claims.

The 49-year-old woman was traced to and arrested in Centurion during a takedown operation led by the Saps in collaboration with an insurance company.

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For the past two months, Mabunda and a team of detectives had been working on the case after a tip-off from relatives of this suspect. Mabunda was roped in to kick-start investigations due to his expertise in solving similar cases.

According to Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, through analysis and collection of evidence including the exhumation of a body, the team was able to link its latest suspect to the team’s first focus of the case.

The murder that was initially ruled a ‘natural death’ happened in Mmabatho in the North West, where a female relative died under mysterious circumstances in March 2023.

Investigations revealed the suspect allegedly fraudulently took out insurance on behalf of her relative, prior to her murder.

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The suspect allegedly pocketed large amounts of money throughout her activities.

She is facing a charge of murder, two of fraud and one of defeating the eds of justice.