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A woman who poisoned her 11-year-old stepdaughter with ice cream laced with rat poison to spite the child’s mother has been sentenced to 23 years in prison.
The sentencing took place in the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court sitting in Mbombela, South Africa, on Wednesday, 15th October.
Judge Lindiwe Vukeya condemned 37-year-old Mozambican national Clara Masinga for killing an innocent child out of animosity towards her mother.
Masinga was found guilty of premeditated murder after pleading guilty under a Section 105A plea and sentence agreement with the State.
The court heard that on 21st March 2015, Masinga sent the victim’s friend to fetch her from home while she waited nearby in the Phosaville Section of KwaMhlushwa, Malelane.
When the girls returned, Masinga called her accomplice and left the child with them while she went to a local tuck shop to buy ice cream and Rattex.
Masinga and her accomplice then crushed the poison and mixed it with the ice cream before giving it to the girl, identified as Jennifer Gumbi.
Jennifer later died after consuming the poisoned dessert, and her lifeless body was found dumped in a shallow ditch near the Mlumati River.
After the murder, Masinga further desecrated the body by pouring boiling water over it to ensure her plan succeeded, State Advocate Senzo Zindela told the court.
A police investigation led to her arrest, and she admitted in court that her conduct was unlawful.
In her plea statement, Masinga revealed that she killed the child to spite the victim’s biological mother.
The court found that compelling circumstances existed to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence and imposed 23 years of direct imprisonment.
Masinga was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Judge Vukeya condemned the growing number of domestic violence cases in South Africa and the continued killing of women and children.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomed the sentence, commending law enforcement for their work in bringing Masinga to justice.
NPA regional spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said the case underlined the immeasurable value of human life and the authority’s commitment to prosecuting domestic and gender-based violence cases.
(Joe Golder/ newsX)
Byline Journalist: Joseph Golder
Byline Sub editor: Marija Stojkoska
Byline Spotter: Ivica Stojanovski
Byline Commisioning Editor: Angela Trajkovska
Byline Senior Writer: Joseph Golder
Byline Picture Editor: Zorica Stojkovik
Byline Copychecker: Angela Trajkovska
Byline Illustrator: Angela Trajkovska
Byline News Editor: Joseph Golder
Geography: Malalane
Subject: Food / Drink, Food, Legal, Crime, Social media
T4 Editor Story Rating: 7
T4 Editor Pic/Vid rating: 6
T4 Total rating: 6.5
