A Soweto man has allegedly confessed to hiring hitmen to kill his wife for R70,000.

From this amount, he would pay them R30,000 for the job, according to a confession statement seen by Sowetan.

Thabo Lehloibi, 32, will appear at the Protea magistrate's court on charges of murder and robbery in connection with the killing of his wife, Matumelo Lehloibi, 30.
Matumelo was killed in their rented room in Dlamini.

In the confession statement, Lehloibi allegedly confessed to hiring Thabang Kwena to do the job. The pair were denied bail last week and the case was postponed to this week for further investigation.

In the statement, Lehloibi detailed how Kwena and an accomplice knocked on their door after the couple's two children had left for school on October 10.

"I heard a knock on our door and I opened it and saw Jabu who I later came to know that his real name is Thabang. I knew him as I arranged with him to kill my wife two weeks ago and he told me he will get someone to assist him," the statement reads.

He claims Matumelo was a prophet and was hiding money from him and no longer engaged him in her finances.

"Jabu was in the presence of another black man. Jabu pretended he was fighting with me and the other guy went to my wife and strangled her on the bed and demanded money from her," reads the statement.

Lehloibi said the struggle led to Matumelo falling to the floor and she stopped breathing.

"After that they asked me where were they going to get the money and I told them that I don't know where she was hiding the money and I gave them R130 and two cellphones.

"I became confused as to how I was going to give them the money because she was dead having not shown [me] where she kept the money and the banking cards."

He said he instructed the pair of robbers to tie his hands behind his back and to also tie his feet and gag his mouth before they left.

Lehloibi said Matumelo was killed with the same rope that was used to tie his hands.

"After a while, I shouted for help and the landlord came and he untied me," reads the statement.

Lehloibi said he confessed to his wife's murder two days after the incident while he was being questioned by the police.