Kempton Park love triangle ends in death from poison-laced pudding

A love triangle ended in tragedy when the ‘makhwapheni’ (second girlfriend) to a Croydon, Kempton Park, man died after being allegedly fed rat poison, Kempton Express reports.

The body of 25-year-old Hlengiwe Mhlanga, from Tembisa, was discovered on May 5 in a park on Mahogany Street, Croydon. Mhlanga’s unidentified body was taken to a mortuary, where she was only identified by her family on May 14.

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According to Sebenza SAPS spokesperson Sergeant Sharon Tsotsotso, Mhlanga and Lerato Ngwenya, 27, from Daveyton, were allegedly both dating the same man living at The Heights in Croydon. Ngwenya has since confessed she was jealous of Mhlanga, and this was the reason she put poison in her dessert.

Ngwenya briefly appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrates’ Court on Monday, and her case was postponed for a bail application. She remains in custody, and has been charged with murder and defeating the ends of justice.

“It is alleged that Mhlanga arrived at her boyfriend’s place to find Ngwenya there. There was an altercation, and the boyfriend told them he loved them both and was going to marry both. He then went to Limpopo for a funeral and left both women at his Croydon flat for the weekend,” explained Tsotsotso.

“Ngwenya allegedly cooked a meal and put rat poison in the deceased’s dessert. After the meal, she got sick, and Ngwenya put her in the car to take her to hospital.”

According to Tsotsotso, the suspect confessed she did not, in fact, take Mhlanga to hospital, for fear that the poisoning would be traced to her. She instead dropped her off at a street corner.

Following the drop-off, Ngwenya took Mhlanga’s phone and sent an SMS to their boyfriend that read: “It’s over and don’t bother looking for me,” before disposing of the phone.

Mhlanga’s lifeless body was discovered by a gardener the following day in the open veld/park.

“When the boyfriend returned from Limpopo, he started questioning his girlfriend on the whereabouts of Mhlanga. She pretended she didn’t know anything. He started asking around and a neighbour informed him a body had been discovered in the Croydon Park. The boyfriend made his way to Sebenza Police Station, and was shown a picture of the deceased which he positively identified,” Tsotsotso elaborated.

Police interrogated Ngwenya, and she eventually confessed to the murder.

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