A Gauteng woman is locked in a bitter conflict with Old Mutual over a life insurance payout following the tragic death of her husband.

Annette Monica Mulder, 60, lost her husband, Rudolf Johan Frederick Mulder in January 2018.

Before his death, he had taken out a policy with Old Mutual in 2009 and according to his wife, at the time of his death, it was R1.68 million.

Mulder’s anguish began when Old Mutual denied her claim, citing suicide as the cause of death.

“When my husband died, they refused to pay out the policy and claimed that my husband killed himself. The policy never excluded suicide, there was no clause mentioning suicide. Because it wasn’t clear how my husband died, they decided to pick suicide to avoid making payment,” she said.

According to Mulder, the life insurance contract specified just three exclusions: death while committing a crime, death in war, or death during a strike.

“Those were the three exclusions that were listed in the contract. If they decided to add suicide, it’s something they added without notifying us. We were certainly not made aware of this,” she said.

The circumstances surrounding Rudolf’s death remain shrouded in mystery. On the fateful day, Mulder recalled enjoying a braai with their neighbours, followed by an idyllic evening at home.

“It was a good day; we didn’t fight or harbour any feelings of resentment towards each other. My husband went upstairs, and before I knew it, I heard a loud bang coming from our bedroom,” she said, still in disbelief over the event.

Firmly convinced that her husband did not take his own life, Mulder described him as a responsible gun owner who would routinely check his firearms before retiring for the night.

“This was a terrible accident. My husband was into guns and every night before going to sleep, he would check them and make sure that everything is in order. This was an accident because no one could prove without doubt that it was suicide,” she said.

Mulder said this issue has caused her profound emotional and psychological damage and she has since stopped working as an insurance broker.

“After Old Mutual wrongly declined my claim, I got physically sick and fell into a deep depression and just could not work any longer. I’ve been fighting with Old Mutual and the Ombudsman as well as the broker since that time to pay out our policy,” she said.

Speaking to IOL, Old Mutual confirmed that Mulder’s claim was denied in 2019 and it has no plans to review the case unless new evidence emerges indicating that Rudolf’s death was indeed accidental.

“Our decision has been supported by the Ombudsman for Long-term Insurance and our Internal Arbitrator after review of the police, ballistic and pathology reports,” stated Old Mutual spokesperson, Kavir Ramjee.

sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za

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