3 days ago
Gauteng widow in distress after Old Mutual rejects R1. 68 million claim following husband's death
Old Mutual's non-profit entity 'Masisizane' Fund has reached a milestone by disbursing R1 billion to over 400 SMEs and creating more than 13,000 jobs.
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.
