Inquest into Bedford deaths

Bedford police have opened an inquest into the death of a couple found burnt beyond recognition inside their house last month.

Welcome Mnuna, 64, and his wife Nomonde, 59, of Nonzwakazi Township, died after the room they were sleeping in mysteriously caught fire.

A few hours after the incident, a number of people allegedly called the family of the deceased, inquiring about their identity documents as they allegedly wanted to file claims from funeral policies they had opened for the couple.

The family reported it to the police.

Cradock police spokeswoman Captain Stefanie Smith confirmed the investigation but said at this point police did not suspect foul play.

“The investigation into the case continues,” Smith said.

According to the couple’s daughters, 10 different people from the township phoned them saying they want to “contribute” to the funeral.

But the deceased’s children said none of the claimants were related to the family and now suspect there was more to their parents’ deaths.

One of the daughters, Noluyolo Pungulwa, said: “We were shocked to get the news that our parents had died. So interesting is that the fire was only in their main bedroom, nowhere else. The clothes, the furniture and other rooms were intact. It’s like they were set alight while asleep.”

Pungulwa said they suspected their parents had been murdered by unscrupulous people.

“All those who claimed funeral policies, all of them must be arrested and answer in court,” she said.

Another daughter, Sikelelwa Pungulwa, said one of the claimants had confessed to having insured the couple for R15000 each.

“I had to ask her how much she was going to get out of what she had done. She told me that for each of them she was going to get R15000.

“Who gave them permission to register my parents in their policies without our consent as their children? What they did gives us a reason to believe that they are murderers and police should investigate them,” she said.

Statistics from the Association for Savings and Investment of South Africa (Asisa) reported last year that 8.8% of death benefit claims were declined due to fraudulent claims by either the policyholder or beneficiary.

In the case of the Bedford couple, it is still not clear if any fraud was involved.

Asisa’s deputy CEO, Peter Dempsey, said claims fraud usually involved the submission of fraudulent documentation aimed at getting the life insurance company to pay a claim to someone not entitled to the benefit. — bonganif@dispatch.co.za