Disgraced political spin doctor Carl Niehaus “killed off” his mother in an elaborate hoax to wriggle out of paying a R4.3-million debt‚ the Sunday Times reported.

It said Niehaus owed the money to a former landlord for the rental of two apartments in Sandton‚ damage to expensive furnishings and artwork‚ unpaid concierge charges and interest.

In an audacious bid to avoid legal action‚ he claimed that his mother had died and he would soon receive a generous inheritance‚ 90% of which would allow him to settle the debt‚ the newspaper reported.

It quoted other Niehaus family members as saying that his mother‚ Magrietha Niehaus‚ 88‚ is in fact alive and living in a home for the elderly in Johannesburg.