'Nurse told us a mob killed Busisiwe'

A Gauteng nurse arrested in connection with the murder of her domestic worker and a R6m insurance claim, had told the woman's family that she was killed by an angry community who accused her of being troublesome.

This is according to Busisiwe Nxumalo's uncle Njabulo, who said he received a call from nurse Sithembile Happiness Xulu, telling him about his niece's murder in January 2022. 

Njabulo was speaking outside the Lenasia magistrate's court where Xulu appeared alongside her co-accused, gardener Simon Mogale.

Their case has been postponed to July 3 for a bail hearing.

According to Sowetan's sister publication TimesLIVE, Nxumalo was found dead at a dumpsite not far from Xulu's previous home in Lenasia South. Her throat had been slit.  

Life policies with three different insurance companies were taken out in her name but were frozen on fraud suspicion. 

Njabulo said he was told by one of the insurance companies in Durban that Xulu allegedly received about R700,000 in funeral policies from different banks. 

He said Xulu was in constant communication with him and asked to meet with him at the morgue in Orange Farm on several occasions but never showed up and ignored phone calls. 

He said the woman first asked to meet him at the morgue to view the body, but she never showed up.

She later called him and said they should wash the body together, but when he went there, Xulu allegedly did not arrive. “I have never met this woman. This is the first time [in court] I am seeing her and when I saw her here I became teary,” he said.

He claimed Xulu called him again and suggested to the family to move the date of Nxumalo's burial and promised that she would give them R14,000, transport for the body, groceries and a tent for the funeral.

“She told me that there were social workers who said they would assist in burying the child (Busisiwe) and she said we can do it the following week. We were happy about that because it was in January and we didn't have money. I called home and told them that there were some people who would assist in burying the child.”

He said while transporting Nxumalo's body to KZN, the vehicle that was arranged by Xulu broke down, but she managed to send R500 to assist.

She allegedly sent catering at the funeral but did not attend.

After the funeral, Njabulo said the investigating officer informed him that Nxumalo had three life covers in her name.

“He took out some documents and asked me how much it was and at first, I said it was R200,000 and he said 'no, it is R2m' and told me she (Xulu) had claimed R2m from three different insurance companies.

“Someone else from an insurance [company] gave me information that Xulu allegedly received R700,000 [from different banks]. She received it after 24 hours.

“We don't know this woman. She has never told us that she insured [Busisiwe],” he said.