A WOMAN who allegedly killed her husband and daughter and buried them under her bed looked relaxed yesterday when she and another daughter appeared in court.
Bertha Maretlwa, 54, who appeared in the Coligny Magistrate's Court in North West with her 16-year-old daughter, smiled, sipped water from a squeeze bottle and chatted to relatives.
The two are accused of killing her husband Elias Maretlwa, 61, last year and daughter Leku Maretlwa, 23, in 2009.
Magistrate Marthinus van Loggerenburg postponed the case because their legal aid representative was not present.
Next month the prosecution will determine whether to bring additional charges against Maretlwa and her daughter.
The badly decomposed bodies of Maretlwa's husband and daughter were discovered by North West police in a shallow grave inside the bedroom of their house last month.
According to police, the two were allegedly killed by Maretlwa and herdaughter.
After the allegedly killings, Maretlwa and her daughter dug a hole under the bed inside her bedroom where they were buried.
When confronted by the family about her missing husband and daughter, Maretlwa had allegedly told them the two had gone to Botswana to train astraditional healers.
Maretlwa is also alleged to have told the family that they would return on June 16 when a huge welcome ceremony would be held for them.
When the family insisted that she produce the two deceased, Maretlwa had allegedly confessed that she had buried them under her bed in her bedroom.
The family claimed that she said she had buried them in the house because she was poor and could not afford funeral costs.
Maretlwa's husband was a pastor in the National Independent Congregation Church at Tlhabologang township in Coligny.
The house where he and his daughter were buried was also used for Sunday church services.
Elias Maretlwa went missing in November last year and his daughter was reported missing in 2009.
Bertha Maretlwa and her daughter have been charged with two counts of murder.
They will appear again in court on August 20.
The motive for both murders is still not known. - tshehleb@sowetan.co.za
Mom and teen daughter on murder rap for family deaths
A WOMAN who allegedly killed her husband and daughter and buried them under her bed looked relaxed yesterday when she and another daughter appeared in court.
Bertha Maretlwa, 54, who appeared in the Coligny Magistrate's Court in North West with her 16-year-old daughter, smiled, sipped water from a squeeze bottle and chatted to relatives.
The two are accused of killing her husband Elias Maretlwa, 61, last year and daughter Leku Maretlwa, 23, in 2009.
Magistrate Marthinus van Loggerenburg postponed the case because their legal aid representative was not present.
Next month the prosecution will determine whether to bring additional charges against Maretlwa and her daughter.
The badly decomposed bodies of Maretlwa's husband and daughter were discovered by North West police in a shallow grave inside the bedroom of their house last month.
According to police, the two were allegedly killed by Maretlwa and herdaughter.
After the allegedly killings, Maretlwa and her daughter dug a hole under the bed inside her bedroom where they were buried.
When confronted by the family about her missing husband and daughter, Maretlwa had allegedly told them the two had gone to Botswana to train astraditional healers.
Maretlwa is also alleged to have told the family that they would return on June 16 when a huge welcome ceremony would be held for them.
When the family insisted that she produce the two deceased, Maretlwa had allegedly confessed that she had buried them under her bed in her bedroom.
The family claimed that she said she had buried them in the house because she was poor and could not afford funeral costs.
Maretlwa's husband was a pastor in the National Independent Congregation Church at Tlhabologang township in Coligny.
The house where he and his daughter were buried was also used for Sunday church services.
Elias Maretlwa went missing in November last year and his daughter was reported missing in 2009.
Bertha Maretlwa and her daughter have been charged with two counts of murder.
They will appear again in court on August 20.
The motive for both murders is still not known. - tshehleb@sowetan.co.za
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