A Gauteng nurse arrested in connection with the murder of her stepdaughter, who had been working for her as a domestic worker, has been found guilty of defrauding insurance companies by impersonating the victim.
Sithembile Xulu appeared in the high court in Johannesburg on Thursday, where she pleaded guilty to fraud charges but denied the murder charge.
“I have not been promised any benefit in my guilty plea,” she said in her statement.
Xulu, who was a nurse at a clinic in Alberton, appeared alongside her co-accused and gardener Simon Mogale, who, according to the state, was instructed to kill Busisiwe Nxumalo, 21.
Nxumalo was killed on January 18 2022.
Nxumalo was found dead at a dumpsite not far from Xulu’s previous home in Lenasia South. Her throat had been slit.
During her appearance, Xulu kept facing down with her arm on her ear, which prompted the judge to ask if she was concentrating or not.
Some of Nxumalo’s family attended the court case.
Xulu admitted to taking out several life insurance policies and funeral covers in Nxumalo’s name by pretending to be her and nominating herself as the sole beneficiary.
She told the court that as Nxumalo’s stepmother, she “pretended to be [her]”, adding that the victim did not “nominate her to open insurance on her behalf”.
She had insured Nxumalo for R6m.
Xulu also admitted to extending her existing funeral policy with FNB Life to include Nxumalo, and extended the benefit from R10,000 to R50,000.
After she pleaded, the court moved to hear from several witnesses, which included Sgt Lloyd Ngengenene, who said Mogale had confessed to the murder.
Nxumalo’s grandmother, Fikile, was also called to the stand, where she told the court that Xulu called her in 2021, asking that Nxumalo comes to Gauteng to work for her as a domestic worker.
She said Nxumalo left KwaZulu-Natal and never returned.
“She [Nxumalo] said she was working for her [Xulu] and looking after her children. She was there for only four months, and we received a call asking me if I was Busisiwe and I said yes.
“That person told me that Busisiwe had passed on. I asked the person who he was and he informed me that he was one of the community members.”
She also said Xulu offered a vehicle and a mortuary to bury Nxumalo.
“She never attended the funeral but contributed to the funeral. She never gave us money. We did not know she had taken life insurances. She has never told us what happened to Busisiwe because she never showed up.
“We will never bring her life back,” she said.
Sowetan
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.