A 38-year-old Mozambican woman was sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment for the murder of three-year-old Melokuhle Ngwenya.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/ Independent Newspapers
A 38-year-old Mozambican woman was sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment for the murder of three-year-old Melokuhle Ngwenya.
Penina Felipe Sambo was sentenced by the Pretoria High Court sitting in Benoni on Wednesday.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson, Lumka Mahanjana, said Sambo pleaded guilty to killing the child in Ratanda on April 3, 2024.
On that fateful day, Ngwenya went to Sambo's home, ostensibly to buy sweets. After the purchase, she sat with Sambo on the couch.
"After a few minutes, Sambo began to strangle her to death and thereafter threw her body into a recycle bin outside. When the child did not return home, her mother went to the police station and reported her missing.
"Police went to Sambo's place where the child was last seen. After searching Sambos place the body of the child was found in the bin. Sambo was arrested on the scene and has been in custody since," said Mahanjana.
In her guilty plea, Sambo said she killed the child because she was angry at her mother for having an affair with her boyfriend.
During sentencing, she requested the court to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentence stating that she is a first-time offender and her pleading guilty demonstrated remorse.
However, the prosecutor, Advocate Sipho Lalani argued that Sambo was found guilty of serious offenses that are prevalent in the court’s jurisdiction. Furthermore, he said that the deceased was a minor at the time of her death and her family is aggrieved by her death. Therefore, he asked the court to impose a sentence that would send a strong message to society.
When handing down the sentence, judge France Van Der Westhuizen said that he was satisfied with Sambo's guilty plea. He added that even though the law prescribes that a serious sentence of life imprisonment should be given to such crimes he believes that the sentence handed down is appropriate.
She was also sentenced for being illegal in the country and further declared unfit to possess a firearm.
sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za
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