Residents from Nxuba, Eastern Cape, say they are living in fear of violence and murder driven by insurance policy fraud.
Image: File
Residents of Nxuba, also known as Cradock in the Eastern Cape, say they are living in fear and are pleading for urgent intervention as allegations of insurance-linked murders continue to surface in the community.
Community leader Andile Mlangeni, chairperson of the Amadoda Elali group, said the organisation, which focuses on protecting vulnerable groups, including women and children, has become increasingly alarmed by what it describes as a growing pattern of violence tied to fraudulent insurance schemes.
"As an organisation that looks at the safety and protection of the community and the care of women and children, we have been very concerned about what we have seen impacting the community," said Mlangeni.
He explained that Amadoda Elali works alongside two other groups: Amantombi Elali, made up of young girls, and Omama Elali, consisting of young and elderly women, all of whom collaborate to support community safety.
Mlangeni recounted a disturbing incident from early March in which a young girl from the Amantombi Elali group was allegedly offered R20,000 to murder her best friend, who is also a member of the group.
"We decided to speak to both girls about what was happening and took them both to a safe house for safekeeping," he said.
A case was opened against two men who allegedly made the offer, and one suspect has since been arrested.
Following the incident, Amadoda Elali convened a community meeting where residents voiced their concerns.
"There were loud sounds of agreement among the people in the meeting, with residents shouting that this has been happening for a long time," Mlangeni said.
He added that several community members came forward, claiming they had also been approached with offers of money to kill others.
"From the community meeting, it emerged that there are victims among community members who have been offered money to help kill someone," he said.
According to Mlangeni, multiple syndicates are allegedly operating in the area, using social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook to recruit individuals.
"The group is known to send out messages offering thousands of rand to random people, telling them they will get paid if they kill someone who has been insured and whose ID number they have in their possession."
He further alleged that victims are targeted after their identity numbers are obtained and shared within these networks.
"They identify vulnerable individuals, get their ID numbers and share them in WhatsApp groups. That person is then insured by more than 10 people at a time, and members update each other in those groups," he said.
"They then build relationships with people close to the victim and even offer money to convince them to take out insurance policies, all with the intention of killing them."
Mlangeni claimed that poisoning is commonly used in these alleged killings.
"People die in the strangest ways, and those close to them end up driving expensive cars and living in luxury houses," he said.
He also alleged that some members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) may be complicit, allowing the syndicates to operate.
"We only have two SAPS members whom we trust to help us when we report these cases because we suspect others are involved. They are the ones signing off on insurance claims," he claimed.
Local resident Nomntu Melane said the situation has left many living in constant fear.
"It is so hard and painful. People are being insured with the intention of killing them so that others can benefit," she said.
Melane added that the situation has worsened in recent months.
"Bodies are found in the middle of the road, after people have ingested poison. Families are crying. Others are killed by those same family members in their homes," she said.
She also alleged that syndicates sometimes use a single identity number across multiple policies to maximise payouts.
Provincial Spokesperson, Captain Yolisa Mgolodela, confirmed that "a number of deaths have occurred" in the area, but said there is no confirmed increase.
"Fraudulent insurance claims might be one of the contributing factors in some deaths, but that can only be confirmed upon conviction," she said.
She added that syndicates are suspected, though this can only be confirmed once investigations are finalised.
"Dead bodies are discovered from time to time in public places, including the recent discovery of a half-naked young woman near a stadium, while other deaths occur in homes," Mgolodela said.
She acknowledged that assistance from specialised units would be beneficial, although this is not always possible due to mandate limitations.
In addition, she acknowledged the allegations regarding SAPS involvement, "but these have not been confirmed, and investigations are under way," she said.
Meanwhile, frustrated residents have drafted a list of demands in a community WhatsApp group, which has since been submitted as a memorandum to the Nxuba police station.
Police have confirmed that they have received the memorandum and are aware of the community’s concerns.
"We stand against policy fraud, policy killings, and corrupt officials," the statement reads.
Residents are calling for external investigators to handle such cases, the intervention of the Hawks, and for insurance-related crimes to be treated with urgency.
"We demand detectives that are not from Nxuba to deal with these cases. We demand the presence of the Hawks to assist police in investigating insurance killings. The station commander must assure us that these cases will be treated as a matter of urgency because our people are dying in huge numbers," the community said.
lilita.gcwabe@inl.co.za