The Maletswai Magistrate’s Court in the Eastern Cape has postponed the case of Anelle de Bruin, who stands accused of orchestrating a staged “farm attack” to kill her husband. The court has scheduled a new hearing for April 23 to allow for further investigation, citing outstanding statements, photo albums, and cellphone records.
De Bruin, 46, was arrested on January 9 and charged with conspiracy to murder. She appeared briefly in court on Wednesday and was granted R2,000 bail, with conditions barring her from returning to the farm but allowing supervised visits with her children.
Her arrest came after a tip-off from a middleman who claimed de Bruin had hired him to arrange for hitmen to kill her 56-year-old husband. Investigations revealed she had already made a partial payment and promised to pay the rest once the murder was completed and insurance claims were paid out.
De Bruin was allegedly recorded instructing the hitmen to shoot her husband, as well as the family’s dogs and vehicle tires, to make the incident appear as a farm attack. She also reportedly informed the middleman of the expected response time from neighboring farmers. According to National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Luxolo Tyali, de Bruin stood to inherit over R50 million upon her husband’s death.