Nurse allegedly threatened to kill gardener if he didn't 'eliminate' helper, court hears

“I will kill you like I killed my husband.”

This is what a Gauteng nurse allegedly told her gardener while threatening to kill him if he failed to “eliminate” her domestic worker whom she had insured for R6m.

The investigating officer in the case, Sgt Lloyd Ngengenene, revealed this while testifying at Lenasia magistrate's court this morning.

Ngengenene said the court should not grant bail to gardener Simon Mogale, because his life would be in danger should he be released.

“If he gets released, the likelihood of him being killed is high because he is one of the state witnesses. He was given instructions, according to his confession, that if he doesn't eliminate the domestic worker [Busisiwe Nxumalo] then 'I will kill you like I killed my husband',” Ngengenene told the court.

The nurse, Sithembile Happiness Xulu, has been charged with the murder of 21-year-old Nxumalo who died in January 2022.

Xulu, who was a nurse at a clinic in Alberton, was arrested last June at her home in Vosloorus and Mogale was arrested in Limpopo.

Nxumalo was found dead at a dumpsite not far from Xulu's previous home in Lenasia South. Her throat had been slit.

Xulu had taken life policies with three different insurance companies in Nxumalo's name but were frozen on fraud suspicion.

This is Mogale's second bail bid after approaching the court with “new facts” that involve his address and employment status.

However, Ngengenene said he did verify Mogale's mother's address and when he went to Seshego, Polokwane, to check his employment status, he was told he was no longer employed by EPWP.

His sister has instead been hired in his place.

He also said Mogale is a potential state witness because of the confession he gave against the nurse, therefore his life would be in danger should he be released.

“If he gets released he is not safe at all. If he gets released he is a flight risk. We won't get him any more,” he said.

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