An Alberton nurse and her gardener have appeared in court charged with murder and fraud linked to a R6m insurance payout after the death of the nurse’s domestic worker – whose funeral costs were partly covered by her former employer.
The family of Busiswa Nxumalo (21) said they were given R14 500 by Sithembile Happiness Xulu (47) who is accused of arranging the killing, and were unaware she had pocketed R700 000 just 24 hours after Nxumalo’s death in 2022.
News24 reports that when arrested for the crime, gardener Simon Mogale (37) had confessed his involvement and implicated the nurse, accusing her of being the mastermind.
According to the murdered woman’s uncle, Njabulo Nxumalo, the family had no idea that Xulu, who had phoned him on 18 January 2022 to tell him his niece had “been killed by a Lenasia mob”, was involved.
He said that later, when the body was at the mortuary, Xulu had phoned to ask about the family’s plans for burial, saying some social workers had volunteered to finance the funeral in Nongoma.
“We were relieved there were Samaritans willing to help,” Nxumalo said. Xulu had also asked for his personal details, allegedly needed for his niece’s death certificate.
“She also claimed social workers wanted my personal information to assist us with the funds for the funeral.”
He said R14 000 was deposited into a relative’s account for the funeral costs from the unknown “social workers”.
Xulu had also transferred R500 into his account for fuel for a van to transport the body to the funeral, but thereafter, she avoided his calls, and did not attend the funeral. He said this surprised him as the young woman had worked for Xulu. “They lived together.”
An official from an insurance company later told him that Xulu had received R700 000 from two funeral policies in his niece’s name, from Capitec and FNB, paid out within 24 hours of the murder, while the investigating officer subsequently told him Xulu was expecting R6m from three life cover policies taken out on Nxumalo’s life.
Mogale had told police Xulu allegedly promised him R60 000 to kill Nxumalo, but that he was paid only R9 000, with the promise that the balance would be paid once Xulu had received the R6m insurance payout.
The matter was postponed to 3 July for a bail application.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Doctor implicated in murder of ex-wife
Bail denied to GP’s ex-wife who ‘plotted to kill him’
Family feud drove doctor allegedly to order a ‘hit’ on brother-in-law