MBOMBELA, Mpumalanga – A 37-year-old Mozambican woman has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for the premeditated murder of her 11-year-old stepdaughter, whom she killed by feeding her ice cream laced with rat poison.
Clara Masinga was sentenced on Tuesday by the High Court in Mbombela after pleading guilty to murdering Jennifer Gumbi in what prosecutors described as a calculated act of revenge against the child’s biological mother.
The incident took place on 21 March 2015, in KwaMhlushwa near Malelane, where Masinga lived with the victim’s father, Rodgers Gumbi.
According to court documents, Masinga had carefully planned murder. She sent Jennifer’s friend to fetch her from home while waiting at a distance. When the girls arrived, Masinga told Jennifer that an acquaintance wanted to buy her clothes and asked her to come to the house.
Once there, Masinga called an accomplice who stayed with the child while she went to a nearby shop to buy ice cream and Rattex rat poison. The two women then crushed the poison and mixed it into the ice cream before giving it to the unsuspecting child.
Jennifer died after consuming the poisoned treat, and her body was later found dumped in a shallow ditch near the Mlumati River. State Advocate Senzo Zindela told the court that Masinga had also poured boiling water on the child’s body to ensure the plan succeeded.
In her plea statement, Masinga admitted that her motive for the killing was “to spite the victim’s biological mother.” She entered into a plea bargain with the State, acknowledging that her conduct was unlawful and punishable by law.
During sentencing proceedings, Advocate Zindela highlighted the heinous nature of the crime, arguing that Masinga had “killed an innocent child under the influence of another person and further desecrated the body.”
In delivering the sentence, Judge Lindiwe Vukeya strongly condemned the increasing incidents of domestic violence and killings of women and children in South Africa. The judge noted that while no sentence could restore the lost life, the court found compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence.
“The accused killed an innocent child out of animosity toward the mother,” Vukeya stated, before imposing the 23-year direct imprisonment sentence.
The case highlights South Africa’s ongoing struggle with domestic violence and crimes against women and children. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomed the sentence and praised the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies in bringing the perpetrator to justice.
“The value of human life is immeasurable,” said Monica Nyuswa, Regional Spokesperson for NPA Mpumalanga. “The NPA remains steadfast in its commitment to prosecuting domestic and gender-based violence cases vigorously to deter would-be offenders.”
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