A Lenasia nurse and her former gardener have been convicted in the Gauteng High Court (Johannesburg) for the murder of her relative in a R6m life insurance scam.

Happiness Sithembile Xulu (47) and her former gardener, Simon Isaac Mogale (38) were found guilty of orchestrating the murder of her relative, Busisiwe Nxumalo, so Xulu could cash in on R6m worth of fraudulent insurance policies, notes News24.

Xulu had hired Nxumalo as her domestic worker. According to the NPA, Xulu unlawfully took out life and funeral insurance policies in the name of Nxumalo while falsely impersonating her – a charge she pleaded guilty to, adding four counts of fraud to her conviction.

The court heard how four months before her death, Nxumalo, who is maternally related to Xulu, relocated from KZN to live with Xulu in Johannesburg, where she would be employed as a domestic worker for her relative.

Four months later, Nxumalo was murdered.

The court heard that Xulu and Mogale had a longstanding relationship. Mogale had previously worked as Xulu’s gardener and lived in one of her shacks in exchange for performing gardening duties.

In his confession, which was admitted as evidence, Mogale detailed how Xulu transported him to a veld near Daxina Hospital, where Nxumalo was lying on the ground.

He stated that Xulu handed him a knife, instructed him to kill Nxumalo, and promised to pay him R60 000 for carrying out the murder.

The court found that Mogale acted on Xulu’s instructions.

The matter was postponed to 8 June for sentencing proceedings.

Full News24 report