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A 28-year-old woman and her boyfriend are expected to appear in the Makhado magistrate’s court in Limpopo today in connection with the theft of R36m from a bank account of a deceased person.

The couple were arrested by Hawks on Saturday after they fought over the R5.5m which was allegedly shared with them by First National Bank employee Thabiso Matenda, who stole the R36m from a deceased account.

Matenda is still in custody after being denied bail a few weeks ago. Provincial Hawks spokesperson Capt Matimba Maluleke said on April 25 Matenda allegedly opened the deceased clients’ profile after they died in a vehicle accident.

“The couple started to fight over the money when the sender requested it back. When the girlfriend went to the police in Johannesburg to open a case of assault against her boyfriend, the police discovered that the money they were fighting over was actually stolen and Limpopo Hawks were investigating the matter,” Maluleke said.

Maluleke said Matenda allegedly connived with his accomplice to open a new bank account, linked it to the deceased’s account and started spending all the money from the deceased’s account.

Maluleke said more arrests were expected to follow in connection with the case. – sowetan