A former nurse, Sithembile Xulu, and a former gardener, Simon Mogale, have been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Busisiwe Nxumalo.
The court heard that Nxumalo, who was related to Xulu, was murdered as part of a scheme to claim approximately R6 million in life insurance benefits.
According to evidence presented during the trial, Xulu persuaded Nxumalo to relocate from KwaZulu-Natal to Johannesburg in September 2021 to work as a domestic worker in her household.
Just a few months later, in January 2022, Nxumalo was murdered.
During court proceedings, Mogale testified that Xulu had promised to pay him R60,000 to carry out the killing.
The prosecution successfully argued that the murder had been carefully planned and motivated by financial gain, with the intention of cashing in on insurance policies taken out on the victim.
The court found both accused guilty and imposed life sentences, highlighting the seriousness of the crime and the betrayal of trust involved.
The case has drawn widespread attention due to the alleged insurance motive and the fact that the victim had been recruited by a family member before being murdered.
