'Obsession' with Bulls star led to attempted hit

A middle-aged woman's "obsession" with a young Blue Bulls rugby star drove her to bombard his family with "vile" text messages, and to ditch her rich husband.

And, this week, her "cougar" infatuation drove Manda Reyneke, 47, to the most desperate act of all - allegedly hiring hitmen to murder 21-year-old Deon Helberg, the man who had dated her daughter.

Helberg, who plays centre and wing for the Blue Bulls and also plays for the Springbok Sevens team, learnt of the chilling plot to end his life when two Nigerians contacted him and told him how the scorned Reyneke allegedly wanted him dead.

In an elaborate sting, pictures of Helberg dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans lying in a pool of blood were sent by the Nigerians to Reyneke via MMS as proof that he was dead. Reyneke has since been arrested and is spending the weekend in jail pending a bail application.

Helberg's uncle, Johan Lourens - who learned of Reyneke's alleged plot on Monday - told the Sunday Times that the infatuation led to the breakdown of Reyneke's 20-year marriage with anaesthetist Dr David Johannes Reyneke, 54.

"Her husband told her to leave Deon alone but she wouldn't listen ... he pleaded with her," Lourens said.

A determined Reyneke left the matrimonial home in Middelburg and moved to the up-market suburb of Silver Lakes in Pretoria.

Jalien and Deon started dating while at the HTS Middelburg, a top rugby school. Jalien was a star student, scoring four distinctions in her matric year in 2008 and was named Mpumalanga's top tourism student.

Lourens claims the split between Jalien and Deon was "amicable" but that Reyneke could not let go.

"Manda has been telling people that Deon was living with her in Silver Lakes, which is an outright lie. He has been living with family of ours in Pretoria," said Lourens.

He said Manda sent "the worst, most vile and sexually suggestive text messages" to Deon, sometimes more than 40 a day and even sent them to family as well.

"She even phoned me on my birthday last week to wish me well. This after I told her to leave Deon alone, it was a sick, sick obsession she had with him," said Lourens.

Lourens has denied that Deon was having an affair with Manda.

However, reports have suggested that Jalien dumped Deon after finding out that he was romantically involved with her mother.

Lourens described the Reynekes as "good, church-going people" and said the families often braaied together before Jalien and Deon's relationship ended.

Lourens alleged that two Nigerians, one named "Cobra", had been approached in a Pretoria pub to carry out the hit.

However, after being given details of Deon's movements by Reyneke the two Nigerians followed Deon and grew to like him.

Lourens said the two Nigerians contracted to do the killing phoned Deon on Monday and informed him that Manda wanted him dead. Deon then asked Lourens to speak to the Nigerians and the plan to catch Manda was set in motion.

"I spoke to the one Nigerian who called himself Cobra. He said they watched Deon play rugby and they actually liked him, which is why they didn't want to go through with it.

"I contacted the Hawks and they planned the whole thing. But Cobra said to me after the arrest that they still want compensation ... I'll be too happy to assist because they saved Deon's life."

Police then "staged" Deon's death, and, with the help of the Nigerians, MMSed Reyneke a bloodied picture of Deon.

Members of Pretoria Organised Crime together with the Hawks nabbed Reyneke in the parking lot of the Atterbury Valuemart minutes after she allegedly handed the two hitmen R10 000 in R100 notes.

Reyneke was oblivious to the fact the two Nigerians were in cahoots with the police and was arrested and handcuffed after she stepped out of her silver Volvo SC-60.

Lourens said he saw Reyneke shortly after her dramatic arrest.

"I was furious because she showed no emotion, absolutely f*** all. And she told the cops she's not crazy."

Reyneke will appear in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court tomorrow on charges of conspiring to commit murder. It is believed that she will undergo a psychiatric evaluation thereafter.