Gauteng nurse and her gardener get life in prison for R6m insurance-murder plot

Former nurse Happiness Sithembile Xulu (47) and ex‑gardener Simon Isaac Mogale (38) have been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering domestic worker Busisiwe Nxumalo as part of an R6 million insurance fraud.

Sentences imposed

The Gauteng High court handed Xulu a life sentence on Monday for murder in addition to seven years for four counts of fraud, bringing her total sentence to life plus 28 years.

Mogale was also sentenced to life imprisonment for murder where the pair’s sentences will run concurrently.

The court found that Xulu fraudulently took out multiple life and funeral insurance policies in Nxumalo’s name after the victim moved from KwaZulu‑Natal to Johannesburg in September 2021, with a combined value of about R6 million.

“Xulu nominated herself as the sole beneficiary on all the policies,” NPA spokesperson Magaboke Mohlatlole said.

How the murder was carried out

Evidence showed Nxumalo was killed on 17 January 2022.

Mogale’s confession, admitted by the court after rejecting his claim that it had been obtained under duress, stated that Xulu drove him to a veld near Daxina Hospital, handed him a knife and “convinced him to kill Nxumalo in exchange for R60 000,” Mohlatlole told the court.

“The court found that Mogale acted on Xulu’s instructions and caused the death of the deceased.”

Circumstantial evidence against Xulu

There were no direct eyewitnesses linking Xulu to the killing, but the court concluded the cumulative circumstantial evidence overwhelmingly implicated her.

Senior State Advocate Leswikane Mashabela argued the only reasonable inference was that Xulu orchestrated the murder to benefit financially from the policies.

The court agreed, finding the evidence “established her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt,” Mohlatlole said.

Joy after the sentencing

Outside the court this morning, those supporting the Nxumalo family expressed satisfaction with the life sentences.