Disgraced Home Affairs official Ntombifikile Luzipho, 45, was last month found guilty of colluding with other state officials to capture fictitious or late births, register them for life insurance policies and then “kill off” the aliases to claim the money.
Fake causes of death ranged from hit-and-run accidents to drownings.
The Port Elizabeth Commercial Crimes Court granted her a reprieve so she could get her house in order before reporting for sentencing.
The state and defence had agreed that a term of eight years in prison was an appropriate sentence.
Magistrate Hannes Claassen – who had shown some leniency in allowing Luzipho to support her teenage son through his exams and then get her financial affairs in order so he would be well looked after once she went to jail – said her co-accused, Marthalindi Hanabe, who opted to plead guilty, was serving a seven-year jail term.
