Soshanguve Family Fights for Justice After Alleged Fraudulent Marriage of Deceased Relative
A family from Soshanguve, northern Pretoria, is striving to restore the dignity of their late relative, Samuel Sithole, after discovering a shocking case of fraud. Documents reveal that Sithole’s death certificate was allegedly falsified, and he was posthumously “married” to his girlfriend five years after his death.
Sithole passed away from natural causes on 6 October 2013, at the age of 58. His abridged death certificate, issued two days later in Ga-Rankuwa, noted him as unmarried. However, in March 2018, a second death certificate surfaced, fraudulently stating that he was customarily married to his girlfriend. This new certificate was accompanied by an unabridged marriage certificate, which claimed their marriage was solemnised on 15 May 2010, coinciding with a dubious lobola agreement letter.
Documents indicate that an attempt to register a customary marriage between Sithole and his girlfriend was made on 23 October 2013, just 17 days after his death. However, the Mabopane office of the Department of Home Affairs rejected the application, stating that it fell outside the three-month statutory period following a lobola agreement.
Despite this rejection, the alleged fraudulent marriage later appeared valid in the system. Astonishingly, Sithole’s marital status was altered from “never married” to “married,” with records naming the same marriage officer who dismissed the application as the one who later approved it.
When approached for clarification, officials from the home affairs department maintained that no marriage could be registered without a court order. The woman then sought to compel registration through the Pretoria High Court, but her application collapsed after the Sithole family opposed it. The court struck the matter off the role in September 2016.
At the heart of her fraudulent claim was a lobola agreement letter dated 15 May 2010, which falsely claimed that the Sithole family agreed to pay R20,000 for the girlfriend, with R12,000 allegedly paid. This letter, which City Press has obtained, lists four supposed signatories from the Sithole family. Ben Sithole, the deceased’s younger brother, categorically dismissed the letter as a forgery, stating, “I would certainly have known of such negotiations. All the people listed as our delegation were made up.”
Ben continued, “The letter is a fabrication designed to legitimise this sham marriage. I only came to know of this marriage after my brother had died. His children can barely get by because of this mess.”
The Sithole family alleges that officials from the Department of Home Affairs, the woman, and a Pretoria lawyer conspired to falsify official records, enabling this fraudulent marriage. They believe the motive was to gain access to substantial financial benefits, including inheritance, pensions, and estate claims. The consequences of this deception have been devastating for the family.
Reports indicate that the woman has exploited the fraudulent marriage certificate to inherit Sithole’s tavern in Klipgat, collect condolences from the local taxi association—of which Sithole was a member—and cash in his Zenzele shares. She has also sold assets, including a minibus taxi. In stark contrast, Sithole’s five children have been completely excluded from their father’s estate, leaving them to grapple with the fallout from this scandal.
The situation exposes alarming vulnerabilities within the Department of Home Affairs, where corrupt insiders can manipulate official records to create marriages of convenience, even for the deceased. For the Sithole family, this violation strikes at the heart of human dignity.
Attempts to reach the woman for comment have been unsuccessful. Ben Sithole expressed his frustration, stating, “This is about my brother’s dignity and justice. They tried to marry him off when he was already in his grave. When that failed, they colluded with the home affairs officials to alter documents. Those responsible must be arrested for this fraud and pay for the pain they have subjected this family to.”
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