Mozambican Clara Masinga, 37, has been sentenced to 23 years in prison by the Mpumalanga High Court in Mbombela for the murder of her 11-year-old stepdaughter Jennifer Gumbi.
Ten years after the murder of the little girl and after many postponements from the lower court, Masinga pleaded guilty to premeditated murder and admitted her motive for killing her stepdaughter was to spite her biological mother.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Mpumalanga spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said Masinga was in a relationship with Jennifer’s father Rodgers Gumbi, and lived with him at KwaMhlushwa, Phosaville Section, in the district of Malelane.
“On March 21 2015, Masinga sent [Jennifer’s] friend to fetch her from home while she waited at a distance. When the girls returned, Masinga asked Jennifer to accompany her to her house, claiming an acquaintance wanted to buy her clothes,” Nyiswa said.
“Upon arrival, Masinga called her accomplice, who remained with the child while she went to a nearby tuck shop to buy ice cream and rat poison (Rattex).”
Nyuswa said Masinga and her accomplice crushed the poison and mixed it with the ice cream before giving it to Jennifer, who died after eating the poisoned ice cream.
“Her body was found dumped in a shallow ditch near the Mlumati River. A police investigation led to Masinga’s arrest.”
In court, Masinga admitted her conduct was unlawful and punishable.
She entered into a plea and sentence agreement with the state, which was accepted.
“In her plea statement, she said her motive for killing the child was to spite the victim’s biological mother,” Nyuswa said.
TimesLIVE
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