GQEBERHA – The sentencing of a 27-year-old Kariega man accused of the brutal murder of eight-year-old Veronique Erroldene May did not proceed in the Gqeberha High Court on Thursday, 13 August, after the accused complained of a headache.

The matter was scheduled to proceed with sentencing, but the court was informed that the accused, Lelethu Nkosana was experiencing a headache and felt that he would not be fully present should proceedings continue while he was feeling unwell. He indicated that he believed he would feel better at a later date.

The court was also informed that Nkosana was not receiving medication while in custody at St Albans Correctional Facility. The court endorsed a J7 form to ensure that he receives the necessary medication.

Nkosana also informed the court that he is asthmatic but does not have an inhaler in custody. He could not provide the name of the inhaler but indicated that it has a blue cap. The court directed that the necessary inhaler be provided.

The matter was subsequently postponed to Monday, 17 August, for a plea agreement, with Nkosana remaining in custody.

Nkosana has not been convicted and faces four charges in connection with Veronique’s death, namely kidnapping, housebreaking with intent to rape and murder, rape and murder.

According to the court indictment, Nkosana is accused of unlawfully depriving Veronique of her liberty by forcing her to accompany him and remain in a room. The indictment further alleges that he broke into a room of a Langa house, with the intention of raping and murdering her.

The indictment alleged that Nkosana raped Veronique by penetrating her without her consent before assaulting and strangling her. It further alleges that he killed her by strangling her and hitting her on the head with an unknown object.

The State is seeking the application of the minimum sentencing provisions under Section 51(1) of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, read with Part I of Schedule 2. The indictment stated that the provision relating to a discretionary minimum sentence of life imprisonment applies because “the victim was a person under the age of 18 years.”

The indictment further states that the minimum sentencing provisions apply because “the death of the victim was caused by the accused committing the offence of rape.”

In the indictment’s summary of substantial facts, it is alleged that on 5 October 2025 at about 17:00, Veronique was playing with her friends in an open field when Nkosana joined the children. It further alleges that Nkosana subsequently walked with the girl in the direction of Sinyane Street before taking her to the Langa house, where he allegedly forced the door open.

The indictment also alleged that Nkosana raped the girl and subsequently assaulted and strangled her to death. It states that an eyewitness identified as Mr Pieterson allegedly saw Nkosana walking with Veronique and reported the matter to her grandfather, Reginald Malgas, after which the family conducted a search for her.

“The accused was apprehended by members of the community, who contacted the South African Police Service,” the indictment states, adding that he was subsequently arrested.

The indictment stated that police later discovered Veronique’s body in a room of the Langa house. The room was owned by Ntandokazi Nkosana, identified in the indictment as a relative of the accused, although it states that Nkosana was not staying at the premises.

The indictment further stated that police members attended the scene, where fingerprints and various exhibits were collected and submitted to the Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis.

“A post-mortem examination was conducted on 8 October 2025 by Dr De Beer,” according to the indictment. The listed findings included bruising of the muscles on both sides of the neck, a congested face, a large tear in the vagina extending into the peritoneal cavity and bruises to the scalp. The indictment also states that Veronique’s death was consistent with pressure on the neck and evidence of head trauma.

According to the indictment, Dr De Beer also collected various forensic evidence from Veronique’s body during the post-mortem examination, which was submitted to the Forensic Science Laboratory.

Speaking to the Express, Veronique’s mother, Destiny May, expressed her confusion as to how this happened and what led to the events of the incident.

“I don’t even know what to think. I ask myself so many questions, like what happened, how could one think to do something like this to someone he knew?” she said.

She added that she could not help but think she was to blame for something she could have done to him while growing up, as they had grown up together.

I can’t even imagine someone who has a daughter to do that to someone else’s daughter.

Veronique’s grandfather, Reginald Malgas, expressed gratitude towards investigating officer Warrant Officer Mbulelo Grootboom and his team for their commitment to solving the case and for keeping the family updated throughout the investigation.

“On behalf of the May and Khumazi [father’s surname] family, we want to thank the investigating officer and his team for the outstanding job that they have done so far to get a confession out of the accused, as well as the support he gave the family,” Malgas said.

When asked whether the family expected a confession within the timeframe in which it was allegedly received, Malgas said they did not.

“Sometimes with cases like this, the body is often missing and that was our biggest fear, that we would never see her again. I cannot thank them enough for working this case the way they did. We now have peace in our hearts that she was found and found the [alleged] culprit. We now have some of the answers about what happened, thanks to Mr Grootboom and his team,” he said.

The matter was postponed to 17 August for further plea agreement talks, with Nkosana remaining in custody.

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