The Johannesburg High Court has sentenced former nurse, Happiness Sithembile Xulu (49) and her former gardener, Simon Isaac Mogale (40), to life imprisonment for the murder of Xulu’s stepdaughter, Busisiwe Nxumalo.
Xulu was also handed four seven-year sentences for fraud, after admitting to taking out life and funeral insurance policies in Nxumalo’s name without her knowledge. The policies were worth about R6-million.
According to evidence presented in court, Nxumalo moved from KwaZulu-Natal to Gauteng in September 2021, to live and work for Xulu as a domestic worker. Soon after, Xulu opened a bank account in the deceased’s name and fraudulently secured multiple insurance policies, naming herself as the sole beneficiary.
Just four months later, on January 17, 2022, Nxumalo was murdered.
Policy and claim period raise suspicion
Suspicion was raised when insurance companies noted the short period between the policies being issued and the claim being lodged, as well as the circumstances surrounding Nxumalo’s death. Investigations led to Xulu admitting to the fraud, prompting police involvement.
Further probes by Warrant Officer Phathutshedzo Ngengenene uncovered the full extent of the scheme, linking the murder to the insurance payouts.
Mogale, who previously worked for Xulu and had been a tenant on her property, was convicted based on a confession admitted as evidence. In it, he said Xulu drove him to a veld near Daxina Hospital, in Lenasia, where Nxumalo lay unconscious, handed him a knife and instructed him to kill her, promising him R60,000.
In sentencing, the court accepted the state’s argument that Xulu had abused her position of trust as a nurse to orchestrate a premeditated killing for financial gain. Judge Mohamed Ismail described her as the mastermind behind the plot, while finding that Mogale acted in concert with her.
NPA welcomes outcome
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomed the outcome, saying it demonstrates the justice system’s resolve to hold perpetrators accountable for violent crimes driven by greed.
The NPA also said the sentence sends a strong message that those who exploit positions of trust and engage in carefully planned crimes for financial gain will face the full might of the law.
