Durban — A man who kidnapped, raped and killed his six-year-old niece pleaded guilty to the crimes, and sentencing proceedings are expected on Wednesday, March 1.
National Prosecuting Authority KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said that a 27-year-old man pleaded guilty in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday, February 27, to the kidnapping, rape and murder of his 6-year-old niece on February 12, 2023.
Ramkisson-Kara said that the incident took place in the Mtwalume area, near Umzinto.
She said that in his plea the man said that on the day of the incident, he had been working at the child’s granny’s house, digging a pit toilet. At some point, the pick handle broke and the granny advised him that she would borrow another pick from her neighbour. He then asked her for money to buy cigarettes from a nearby shop. The child was also at the shop as she had gone there to buy some items for her mother.
The 27-year-old said that on their way back he told the child to follow him and they would take an alternate route home.
“As they were walking, he decided that he would rape her, and raped her twice. When he was done, the child told him that she was going to report him to her granny. He said that at this point he decided to kill her and strangled her until she stopped moving. He covered her body with some sand and returned to the house where the granny asked him if he had seen the child. Even though he said that he had left her at the shop, some community members accompanied him to the police station where he confessed to his actions and was arrested,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
“The matter was postponed to March 1, 2023, for sentencing proceedings.”
It is believed that the suspect is the man who abandoned his bail earlier this month, charged with the kidnapping, rape and murder of Vamisile Emihle Nyawose.
Ramkisson-Kara said that a 27-year-old man appeared in the Umzumbe Magistrate’s Court on February 14 in connection with the kidnapping, rape and murder of a 6-year-old girl in the Nomakhanzane area on the South Coast.
Ramkisson-Kara said the matter was adjourned to March 22 for further investigation as the man has abandoned his application for bail.
KZN Department of Social Development MEC Nonhlanhla Khoza strongly condemned the rape and murder, and praised the swift action of the police.
The department said that according to reports, the child was sent to a nearby store but never returned home. The suspect, who had previously asked the child for money, was reportedly the last person seen with the deceased. After questioning, the suspect confessed to raping and killing the child before burying her in a shallow grave in a nearby forest.
Khoza described the incident as the barbaric act of a heartless criminal. She expressed her condolences to the victim's family and applauded the experienced police officers who quickly arrested the suspect. The MEC also dispatched a team of social workers to provide psycho-social support, trauma debriefing, and trauma containment to the family.
“It is disheartening to learn about such brutality against a child. The child was robbed of her life by a person who was supposed to protect her. The suspect betrayed the child's trust and that of the family, and we have full confidence in the court to give him a harsh sentence for his cruelty and barbaric act,” Khoza said.
The MEC assured the public that the police would work tirelessly to ensure justice was served.
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