JOHANNESBURG – A former nurse and her ex-gardener have been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a young woman in an elaborate R6 million insurance fraud scheme that shocked the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.
Hapiness Sithembile Xulu (49) and Simon Isaac Mogale (40) were convicted of killing Busisiwe Nxumalo, Xulu’s stepdaughter and domestic worker, just four months after fraudulently taking out insurance policies worth approximately R6 million in her name.
Judge Mohamed Ismail handed down life sentences to both accused on the murder charge. Xulu received an additional seven years’ imprisonment on each of four fraud counts after pleading guilty to unlawfully taking out life and funeral insurance policies whilst falsely impersonating the deceased.
The court heard that Nxumalo relocated from KwaZulu-Natal to Johannesburg in September 2021 to live and work for Xulu. Shortly after her arrival, Xulu opened a bank account in the deceased’s name and fraudulently obtained four life and funeral insurance policies, nominating herself as the sole beneficiary.
On 17 January 2022, Nxumalo was murdered under circumstances that immediately raised red flags with insurance companies when claims were lodged.
When insurers became suspicious due to the unnatural nature of the death and the short period between the policies being issued and the claim, they initiated investigations and confronted Xulu. She subsequently admitted to fraudulently obtaining the policies, and the matter was referred to police.
Warrant Officer Phatutshedzo Ngengenene, who was investigating Nxumalo’s murder, uncovered the full extent of the insurance fraud scheme.
Mogale, who had a relationship with Xulu as her former gardener and tenant, was convicted based on a confession admitted into evidence. In his confession, he stated that Xulu transported him to a veld near Daxina Hospital where the deceased was lying unconscious, handed him a knife, instructed him to kill Nxumalo, and promised him R60 000 for carrying out the murder.
Senior State Advocate Leswikane Mashabela argued in aggravation of sentence that Xulu, as a nurse entrusted with caring for and protecting others, had instead orchestrated a cold-blooded murder motivated by financial gain.
Judge Ismail agreed with the state’s submissions, describing Xulu as the mastermind behind the scheme. The court found that a young woman was brutally murdered so that the accused could enrich themselves, with Mogale participating in the killing after being promised payment.
NPA spokesperson Magaboke Mohlatlole welcomed the sentences, saying they “demonstrate the criminal justice system’s commitment to ensuring accountability for those who commit violent crimes motivated by greed and financial gain.”
“The outcome also sends a strong message that those who exploit positions of trust and engage in premeditated crimes for personal enrichment will face the full might of the law,” Mohlatlole said.
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