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

In the Eastern Cape, two cousins met tragic ends within a span of eight months, leaving their relatives living in fear of becoming the next targets of a suspected "murder for money" scheme. In February 2026, Wongelethu Sifumba, 36, was shot multiple times at his family home in Kwazakele, Nelson Mandela Bay. Police received numerous requests for assistance in processing funeral policy claims following his death, but no arrests were made and no witnesses came forward.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana confirmed that an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Wongelethu's younger cousin, Vuyo Sifumba, also 29, was murdered in a similar fashion in Bisho just 17 months prior. A witness claimed the attacker knocked on their door, demanding to know who Vuyo was, and shot him through the door after he closed it. Vuyo died at the scene, and another man was wounded in the attack. Police stated that a funeral policy had been claimed on Vuyo's life, but the claimant's relationship to him was too distant to be credible, potentially indicating a fraudulent claim.

The family members, speaking on condition of anonymity, fear that members within their extended family could be responsible for the violent deaths. They have contacted the Murder for Money Task Team, established in the Eastern Cape to combat such crimes, but no cases have been assigned yet. The family suspects that distant relatives may have been submitting fraudulent funeral policy claims after each murder. The relatives are concerned about their safety, fearing that those involved in these crimes could target them next.