Hit on husband: cops close to completing investigations

Cape Town - The police investigation into the Kenilworth woman accused of trying to secure a contract killer to murder her husband is almost complete, State advocate Christiaan de Jongh told the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

Petina Philda Coetzee is accused of ordering a hit on her husband of nine years, with whom she has a three- year-old son. She has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

In October, Coetzee made headlines when police interrupted her alleged plan to murder her husband.

She was caught handing an alleged hitman an undisclosed amount of money in the parking lot of the Lansdowne railway station.

At the time, 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”.

Coetzee was granted bail two months ago after the State ascertained that she was not a flight risk.

Advocate De Jongh said the State would request a date for a pretrial hearing at the Western Cape High Court on completion of the police’s investigations.

Coetzee’s lawyer, Edward Mccallum, said he would procure a psychological report on his client in the next few weeks ahead of her court appearance on January 17.

Weekend Argus