Man sentenced to life in jail for murder of five-year-old niece in KZN

2026-02-05 - 02:26

A 27-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his little niece in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The man who has not been named appeared in the Mtubatuba Regional Court on Wednesday. According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the man killed his 5-year-old niece in December 2024 at Enkanjini, Hlabisa, in northern KZN. Murder On 31 December 2024, the man’s family gathered at a family home for New Year’s Eve celebrations. At about 11pm, the man was seen entering the room where the child was sleeping and carrying her outside. NPA spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said when the family later went into the yard to mark the New Year, they saw the accused carrying a white sack walking towards his shack, which was located nearby. “They also realised that the child was missing and began searching for her. Concerned for her safety, family members questioned the accused about her whereabouts. He informed them that the child was at his shack. “Despite a search of the surrounding area, the child was not found. When questioned again, the accused fled the scene,” Ramkisson-Kara said. ALSO READ: ANC councillor Lazola Gungxe gunned down after meeting in Cape Town ‘Blood-stained knife’ Ramkisson-Kara said the family then returned to the man’s shack, where the child’s body was discovered inside a white sack, which was placed in a three-legged pot. “A blood-stained knife was found on the floor nearby. The accused later presented himself at the police station, where he reported that he had stabbed the child and hid her body in a three-legged pot. He was subsequently arrested.” Trial During the trial, Prosecutor Phumlani Thembalethu Khoza presented evidence from an eyewitness and police official, as well as