DEADLY POLICIES: Family living in fear after two cousins killed in suspected ‘murder for money’ hits

On 12 February 2026, Wongelethu Sifumba was visiting family in Kwazakele, Nelson Mandela Bay. Around 9pm there was a knock on the door, he went to answer and the other occupants of the house heard several gunshots.

When they went to investigate, they found the 36-year-old man’s body in a pool of blood with multiple gunshot wounds.  

No witnesses came forward and no arrests were made.

But soon after his death, the police officers investigating the incident received no less than six requests for assistance to complete funeral policy claims.

“As part of the investigation, the investigating officer requested a report from the Insurance Crime Bureau regarding insurance policies allegedly taken out on the deceased. No feedback has been received to date and the investigation is ongoing,” police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana confirmed.

At first glance it would appear to be an isolated incident, just one of many “murder for money”-style hits where the culprits stand to benefit from funeral policy payouts.

But members of the Sifumba family suspect a more sinister plot that has them constantly looking over their shoulders and fearing for their lives.

Because in June last year, Wongalethu’s younger cousin, Vuyo Sifumba, also died in a hail of bullets near his home in Bisho.

Other than confirming that a murder and attempted murder were under investigation, and that the detectives were waiting for bank statements and cellphone records as part of their investigation, the police remained tight-lipped about the incident that took place 17 months ago.

But a family member close to the Sifumba cousins did his own digging and found that the 29-year-old Vuyo was murdered in a similar manner to his older cousin.

“A witness told us that Vuyo and some friends were sitting in a shack at the back of one of their homes when there was a knock on the door. Two men were standing outside asking who Vuyo was, and the next thing they took out guns and started shooting.”

The witness claimed that Vuyo closed the door while the others hid inside the shack. The attack left one man wounded in his hand by a stray bullet, while Vuyo caught the bulk of the shots that were fired through the door. He died at the scene.

“When we spoke with the police later, we learned about a funeral policy that was claimed on Vuyo’s life. The person who submitted the policy claims to be a distant relative, but the link is so distant we are left wondering if this was not fraud,” the family member said.

The relatives who spoke to Daily Maverick did so on condition of anonymity. They fear for their lives because they suspect members within their extended family could be behind the violent deaths of the Sifumba cousins.

“Some of us started looking into these murders, sending queries to the police and pushing for answers, but then certain family members tell us to drop it or they call us troublemakers.

“After Vuyo’s death Wongelethu started asking questions. Now he is also dead. Who’s next?”

Suspected ‘murder for money’ schemes 

The relatives said they had been following media reports, particularly from Daily Maverick, that shone a spotlight on what the police have dubbed “murder for money” cases and guided them on which organisations to approach with their questions.

The reports detail how violent criminals, often operating in organised syndicates, take out fraudulent funeral policies on unsuspecting victims shortly before arranging their murders and profiting from their deaths.

The police have marked the Eastern Cape in particular as the epicentre of these criminal operations, leading to the establishment of the Murder for Money Task Team in Nelson Mandela Bay.

A family member said they reached out to the task team, and while Vuyo and Wongalethu’s cases had not come across their desks yet, they provided some assistance on how the family should proceed.

“Looking back, in the days that followed Vuyo’s death I asked the police in Bisho a lot of questions. One day they told me there was little they could do to help, the best they could do was help me sort out funeral policy claims, so I should bring the forms. 

“I found this strange because I had no policy on him and I never asked the police about it. That was the first red flag and told me someone else had been speaking to the cops about policy claims.”

The relative said his own investigation revealed at least one policy on Vuyo, linked to the sister of a cousin’s husband – a very tenuous family relation.

Months later, when Wongalethu was killed, members of the Sifumba family looked into his murder and made several suspicious discoveries, besides the fact that six claims had been lodged.

Three of the claims they could track to family members, and while they questioned the motives behind the policies, they conceded the legality of the claims.

The other three names were people they had never heard of, and one of them linked back to the person who had lodged a claim when Vuyo was killed.

“I know we have a lot of loose pieces of information, but for me a picture is starting to form and it makes my blood run cold. 

“Why are strangers claiming funeral policies on our family members? Why was Wongelethu killed shortly after asking about his cousin’s death? Why does half of our family seem disinterested in getting to the bottom of these murders?”

Living in fear

“We’ve been told we are being paranoid. We’ve been told we are trying to cause a rift in the family. All we want is justice for the two cousins whose lives were cut short, but now we are left constantly looking over our shoulders, wondering if we could be next,” one relative said.

Despite living in different parts of the country, the relatives fear for their safety.

“I read the article where the judge said people are walking around with bullseyes on their backs, and that is exactly how I feel. 

“Every day I fear for the safety of my kids. They are young adults, but I seldom let them out at night. On the odd occasion when they go out with friends I feel like a policeman – ‘Where are you going? When are you coming home?’

“I’m always checking if anyone from the family in Bisho has reached out to them. It’s a nightmare.”

Another family member said they had limited communication with the extended family, and few people even knew exactly where they currently lived.

“Until there is progress in these investigations, I don’t know if anyone in this family is completely safe.” DM