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Plot to kill Bok Sevens player

Pretoria - A 47-year-old woman was arrested on Thursday for allegedly conspiring to murder Blue Bulls rugby player Deon Helberg, police said.

GALLERY: Women conspires to kill Blue Bulls player


She was arrested by the Hawks at a shopping centre in Pretoria around 09:30, spokesperson Colonel Vish Naidoo said.

The Pretoria News suggests that Manda Reyneke is alleged to have hatched her plan four months ago after Helberg allegedly spurned her advances when she tried to rekindle their romance.

Helberg, 21, ended their two-year relationship in August last year – apparently after his girlfriend discovered that he was sexually involved with her mother.

Beeld newspaper reports that the two men sent a photo of Helberg, lying in his driveway with fake blood on his chest and neck to Reyneke, who replied: ‘Job well done, see you tomorrow’.

Reyneke was taken into custody outside the Atterbury Value Mart in Pretoria on Thursday shortly after handing over R10 000 to the two Nigerians.

Keo.co.za then goes on to report that according to one of them, she said she would buy each of them a house and pay them R10 000 a month for a year after the murder. She had also given them R30 000 to buy the weapons, ammunition and other equipment needed to commit the crime. They had then gone to the police, who had decided to stage the ‘murder’ of Helberg.

Helberg’s uncle, Johan Lourens, told Beeld that Reyneke – who is believed to be in the process of separating from her husband, Dave, a prominent Pretoria doctor – had threatened to kill Helberg two years ago and that he had gone through hell since then, wondering every day if this would be the day he was going to be murdered.

Helberg has returned to his family’s home in the North West Province.

Reyneke is expected to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Monday on a charge of conspiracy to murder.
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