The Ntuzuma Regional Court sentenced a 43-year-old mother to life imprisonment for murder of her own 14-year-old daughter on July 2024 at D Section in KwaMashu, because of insurance payouts.
The National Prosecuting Authority(NPA) revealed that the mother lied to the police about what happened to her daughter but the post-mortem proved her statement to be false and even the neighbours told the police that heard daughter pleading with her mother not to kill her.
"On the morning following the death, the accused told police that the deceased(her daughter) had suffered from a headache and had taken medication before going to bed the previous night. The accused said she discovered the deceased when she went to wake her up for school. The deceased was found lying in a pool of blood with an injury to the back of her head. The accused told police that the deceased had injured herself by falling from the bed. An inquest docket was registered.
During the post-mortem, the pathologist found that the injuries sustained by the deceased were not consistent with the accused's version of events. The police also interviewed the accused's neighbours, who said that before the incident, they had heard the deceased pleading with the accused not to kill her. Further investigations revealed that the accused had taken out several life insurance policies on the deceased. Before the incident, the accused had called the consultants (for the policies), confirming the policy amount and the claim procedure. The accused was subsequently arrested," said Natasha Ramkisson-Kara,NPA Regional Spokesperson,KZN Division.
NPA mentioned that the ruthless mother confessed that she murdered her own daughter because she wanted insurance money, and the father of the deceased also gave his testimony.
"In court, the accused elected to plead guilty under Section 112(2) of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1997, but the court did not accept her plea in full and entered a plea of not guilty under Section 113. The accused then made Section 220 admissions in addition to her guilty plea, where she admitted to killing the deceased for the insurance money. Based on the strength of the admissions, the court found the accused guilty as charged.
In aggravation of the sentence, Prosecutor Sbongiseni Goodenough Mtetwa led the testimony of the deceased's distraught father. He told the court that the deceased was his only child, and he solely maintained her expenses, including school fees, etc. The accused was sentenced accordingly and declared unfit to posses a firearm," continued Ramkisson-Kara.
The NPA welcomes the conviction and sentence. We remain steadfast in our commitment to uphold the rule of law and pursue justice without fear or favour. We will safeguard the rights and dignity of all members of society, especially children and other vulnerable groups,concluded Ramkisson-Kara.