The High Court in Mbombela has sentenced 37-year-old Mozambican national, Clara Masinga, to 23 years’ direct imprisonment for the brutal murder of her 11-year-old stepdaughter, Jennifer Gumbi.
Masinga, who lived with the victim’s father, Rodgers Gumbi, in KwaMhlushwa, Phosaville Section near Malelane, pleaded guilty to premeditated murder.
On 21 March 2015, Masinga lured the child under the pretext that someone wanted to buy her clothes. She then mixed rat poison (Rattex) with ice cream and gave it to Jennifer, who later died after eating it. Her body was found dumped in a shallow ditch near the Mlumati River.
Masinga told the court that she killed the child to spite the victim’s biological mother. The court accepted her plea and sentence agreement with the State.
State Advocate Senzo Zindela highlighted the cruelty of the act, noting that Masinga even poured boiled water on the child’s body to ensure her plan succeeded.
In delivering the sentence, Judge Vukeya condemned the rising cases of domestic violence and the killing of women and children. The judge said Masinga acted out of hatred and jealousy, taking an innocent life that could never be replaced.
The court sentenced Masinga to 23 years in prison and declared her unfit to possess a firearm.
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