Noela Rukundo’s story sounds like something straight out of a movie but every part of it is real. In 2015, she surprised everyone when she walked into her own funeral alive, showing that her husband had tried to have her killed.
From Refugee to New Life in Australia
Rukundo’s journey started far from Melbourne. She grew up in Burundi and moved to Australia in 2004 as a refugee, bringing five children with her.
Around the same time, Balenga Kalala, a refugee from Congo, was also starting a new life in Australia. He had fled terrible violence back home where rebels had killed his first wife and child, per Wikipedia.
Both relied on a resettlement social worker to adjust to their new lives. Kalala’s English helped bridge the gap for Rukundo, who spoke Swahili and their friendship soon turned into a relationship. They settled in Kings Park, a suburb of Melbourne and had three more children together.
From the outside, they looked like a typical couple rebuilding their lives. But underneath, trust was cracking.
A Deadly Plot
In January 2015, Rukundo flew back to Burundi to attend her stepmother’s funeral. She was staying in a hotel when her life suddenly turned upside down. One evening, she got a call from her husband. He told her to step outside for some air. The moment she did, men grabbed her, shoved her into a car and drove her away.
The kidnappers took her to a warehouse, tied her to a chair, and told her the shocking truth: Kalala had paid them around $7,000 to kill her. At first, she didn’t believe it. But then they called him on speakerphone. She heard him confirm that he wanted her dead. She fainted.
The hitmen, however, had no intention of killing her. They knew her brother and said they didn’t kill women or children. They kept Kalala’s money but told him the job was done. Later, they even demanded more money from him, pretending they were finishing the job.
For two days, Rukundo sat tied up, terrified. Eventually, the men released her, dropping her off on the side of a road with a warning to leave the country within 80 hours. They gave her proof of Kalala’s betrayal: recordings of phone calls and Western Union receipts for the payments.
Planning the Perfect Revenge
Rukundo didn’t waste time. With the help of the Kenyan and Belgian embassies, she made her way back to Australia quietly. She reached out to her church pastor, who helped her plan her next move.
By then, Kalala had already staged her funeral. Friends and family were mourning, believing she had died in a tragic accident. On February 22, just days after her release, she walked into her own home as mourners were leaving.
Kalala froze. He stared at her and whispered, “Is it a ghost?” He even touched her shoulder to make sure she was real. Rukundo looked him in the eye and said, “Surprise! I’m still alive!” Kalala screamed, The Guardian reports.
She immediately called the police.
Bringing Kalala to Justice
Investigators got involved right away. They asked Rukundo to help them gather more evidence. She agreed, and police recorded a private conversation between her and Kalala. In it, he begged for forgiveness and admitted everything.
“Sometimes [the] devil can come into someone to do something,” he said during the recorded talk.
When he was confronted with the recordings and receipts, Kalala broke down in tears. By December 2015, he was charged with incitement to murder. A judge sentenced him to nine years in prison, with the possibility of parole in 2022.
“He say he wanted to kill me because he was jealous,” she said. “He think that I wanted to leave him for another man,” as quoted by The Telegraph.
Detective Inspector Luke Novello called it “a truly shocking example of betrayal of trust and attempted murder.”
Noela’s bravery wasn’t easy. Some people in the Congolese community were upset that she told the police about her husband. She even got threats, but she didn’t give up, she stayed focused on keeping her kids safe and making sure Kalala was punished for what he did.
During his sentencing Kalala expressed remorse: “My actions were wrong, and I am ready to face the consequences.”
The Story Goes Viral
Rukundo’s story quickly made international headlines. Websites like BBC and The Washington Post covered her dramatic confrontation and the unusual twist where her kidnappers saved her life.
Years later, her story inspired the 2021 Lifetime film Death Saved My Life, which put a fictional spin on her ordeal. On TikTok and other platforms, clips about her “funeral crash” went viral, turning her into a symbol of resilience.
A community leader summed it up perfectly: “Noela’s courage in confronting her fate has inspired many and shed light on the struggles faced by refugees rebuilding their lives.”
Her story is a rare mix of horror and hope. A woman who was supposed to be dead not only survived but turned the tables on the man she trusted most.
“I knew he was a violent man,” she said. “But I didn’t believe he can kill me. I loved this man with all my heart.”
