A woman who helped to fake her husband's death over 23 years ago will appear in court alongside her husband, who is very much alive.
A spokesperson for the Hawks Lloyd Ramovha says 67-year-old Robbie Smith who went by the alias Chris Boshoff and his wife Alice Abigail will appear in the Knysna Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
He says in 1999 the couple lived in the Benoni area and faked Smith's death by creating the impression that he had died in a car accident in Vosloorus.
Ramovha says an insurance claim was registered at Old Mutual insurance which led to a payout of just over R1.7 million.
He says when the couple received the money they quietly left Gauteng to go to KwaZulu Natal but eventually settled in Knysna in the Garden Route.
Ramovha says in October 2020, Old Mutual was tipped off about the possibility that Smith was still alive and a fraud case was registered with the Hawks.
He says the team worked tirelessly to trace the couple to a hide-out in Knysna where they were arrested on Tuesday.
Police obtained a court order and searched their place where two unlicensed firearms were also discovered.
Smith/Boshoff is the owner of Knysna auto repairs while his wife did his admin.
The couple will be transferred to Gauteng to face a charge of fraud since the crime was committed there.
