KZN family seeks criminal charges against nurses in funeral policy scandal

A family from oZwathini, near Ndwedwe north of Durban, is demanding that three nurses face criminal prosecution after they allegedly benefited from funeral insurance policies taken out in the name of their deceased relative.

The Mbatha family claims that 24-year-old Nduduzo Mbatha had been receiving treatment at Appelsbosch Hospital before his death in November last year.

It has since emerged that three nurses employed at the hospital allegedly took out multiple funeral policies using his personal details, without his knowledge or consent, after realising that his health was deteriorating.

The nurses allegedly pocketed a little over R160 000 combined.

A family member, who asked not to be named, said the matter came to light when Nduduzo’s mother, Bongiwe Mbatha, received calls from several funeral insurance companies seeking to verify details linked to suspicious claims.

“They told her that certain women who work at the hospital had used her son’s details to take out funeral policies and later lodged claims on them which is illegal,” the family member said.

It is alleged that the three nurses received payouts of R50 000, R54 000 and R58 000, respectively. A fourth employee’s claim was reportedly repudiated, and the insurer refunded R119 in premiums.

“We are horrified that people could exploit our relative’s illness and death for personal gain, especially public servants entrusted with the care of others,” the relative added.

Bongiwe Mbatha said she was devastated to discover that her son’s personal information had been used by people she once trusted.

“What pains me most is that these were colleagues I used to work with and were my friends beyond the workplace. When I opened a case with the police, they all resigned from work. That alone shows their guilt,” she said.

Mbatha also revealed that her son’s medical file has gone missing, a development she fears could compromise the investigation and the criminal case she opened.

“I just want the investigation to uncover everything so that they can be held accountable for what they did,” she said.

Hospital staff, who are not authorised to speak to the media, confirmed to Independent Media that an internal investigation is under way. It is alleged that the nurses’ resignations have not yet been formally accepted, as management believes they are attempting to evade disciplinary proceedings.

Police had not responded to queries at the time of publication. The story will be updated once comment has been received.

SUNDAY TRIBUNE