Latest news with #NtombizodwaSamane
The Herald
15 hours ago
- The Herald
'I now hate foreigners': mom delivers victim impact statement in Amantle murder case
The mother of six-year-old Amantle Samane from Orlando in Soweto, who was raped and killed in October last year, told the Johannesburg high court on Tuesday she now hates foreigners. Ntombizodwa Samane made the remarks as she gave a victim impact statement in court in presentencing proceedings of her daughter's killer, Mozambican Phethe Sera Simiao, 25. Samane told the court the trauma of losing her daughter in such a violent crime has left her struggling mentally and spiritually. 'I now hate foreign nationals. I want revenge but my God and church do not allow that. 'I wish South Africa could be like Botswana; when you kill, you get killed. I want Simiao to get three life sentences. The life of my child was cut short and he knew what he was doing.' She told how her family struggled to bury Amantle, relying on donations to cover funeral costs. The little girl, who was just a few days away from her preschool graduation, was found dead in the shack Simiao was renting in Orlando. Simiao, who fled after her murder, was arrested a few days later. He pleaded guilty to charges of kidnapping, rape and murder, saying he was intoxicated when he committed the crimes in October 2024. In his plea statement, he said he saw the child playing on the street, took her to his backyard shack, kept her there against her will, raped and strangled her. The packed courtroom heard about the pain of Samane, who described how the loss of her youngest child shattered her family. Amantle, who loved school and dreamt of becoming a nurse, would have celebrated her seventh birthday on Tuesday, said Samane. Remembering her daughter's short life, she described Amantle as a happy child who loved to dance and would stand in front of the big mirror at home, speaking English to herself as if she were performing. But the memories are also a source of torment. 'I cannot sleep at night. When I hear a child cry, I get agitated and it brings back the flashbacks of the day I found my child covered by a blanket,' Samane said. She recalled how she was the first to arrive at the scene after a neighbour alerted her to Amantle's body. Her statement painted a picture of a family fractured by grief. She said her four surviving children, aged from nine to 18, had become withdrawn, rebellious and depressed since the killing. 'My children are not the same. I cannot reprimand them because I fear it will remind them of their sister,' she said.
News24
a day ago
- News24
Give killer ‘3 life sentences for what he did to my child' - mom of 6-year-old Amantle Samane
Amantle Samane's mother has pleaded for a harsher sentence for the man who kidnapped, raped and murdered her daughter. Ntombizodwa Samane testified that her four other children were struggling with trauma. The defence highlighted that the Mozambican national is a first-time offender, the father of a toddler, and had shown remorse by pleading guilty. The emotional mother of slain six-year-old Amantle Samane told the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg that her daughter would have turned seven on Tuesday. The mother pleaded with the court to deliver three life sentences against Amantle's rapist and murderer, Mozambican national Pethe Sara Simiao. Testifying during mitigation and aggravation of sentence on Monday, Ntombizodwa Samane said she was still traumatised and haunted by her little one's death. 'Whenever I hear a child crying outside, I become angry because it reminds me of Amantle. This incident has killed my soul and feelings. I battle to sleep. Her death gave me hatred towards foreigners,' she told the court. Samane said Simiao had destroyed her family. 'Simiao cut my daughter's life short at a very young age. He knew what he was doing. I have flashbacks whenever I remember the painful sight of her dead body, which I found on 21 October 2024,' she said. Samane added that her other children were still struggling to accept the loss. Of her four children, one had become rebellious while another became withdrawn and stopped speaking altogether, she told the court. Amantle was described as a bubbly and happy child who was in Grade R and had dreamt of becoming a nurse. 'She loved speaking broken English while standing in front of a mirror. She enjoyed school, church activities, and dancing. She was very close to her siblings,' her mother testified. Amantle's body was discovered in Simiao's shack by a teenage boy before police arrived. It had been covered with a blanket. Samane said she and her children were still attending counselling sessions, and that she had to rely on donations and assistance from a bank, funeral parlour, and government departments to bury her daughter. Samane testified: Meanwhile, Simiao's lawyer, Ndivhuhuwo Masindi, told the court his client was 25 years old, married, and a father of a three-year-old. 'He pleaded guilty to all charges, is a first offender, and didn't waste the court's time dragging the matter to a trial. He showed remorse by conceding that his deeds were wrong,' Masindi said. He added that Simiao had passed matric, studied welding, and was self-employed at the time of his arrest on 23 October 2024 in Soweto, where he rented a backroom. Amantle was murdered on 21 October 2024 in Orlando East, Soweto. She was playing outside her home with her friends when she was snatched by Simiao. Her body was later found in the shack rented by Simiao after residents launched a search. A neighbour reported that she saw him walking into his shack with the child. Simiao was arrested three days later in Zola 1, Soweto, where he had fled. Last week, Simiao pleaded guilty to charges including kidnapping, murder, rape and contravening the Immigration Act.
The Herald
5 days ago
- The Herald
Amantle Samane's family in pain as her killer found guilty
The family of six-year-old Amantle Samane, who was murdered in Soweto last year, are struggling to contain the pain caused by her killer Phethe Sara Simiao. The Mozambican, who worked as a welder, was found guilty of rape, kidnapping, murder and contravention of the Immigration Act in the Johannesburg high court on Friday. He pleaded guilty earlier in the day, saying he was intoxicated when, on October 21 2024, he saw the child playing on the street, took her to his backyard shack, kept her there against her will, raped and strangled her. His case was postponed to Tuesday for pre-sentencing proceedings. Amantle's mother Ntombizodwa Samane sobbed when the plea statement was read into the court record. The family's spokesperson Brenda Mjiyako said it was a heartbreaking session when they heard his version of the murder. ' It brought back the memories: of her last day, the pictures of where we found Amantle deceased, and the mortuary. 'The mother broke down, we all broke down in tears. We knew this day would come b ut we didn't think it would be so difficult. When they were reading, step by step what had happened, you could reflect back. It was painful.' She said what Simiao did was inhuman. ' There is no normal human being who can do what [he] did to Amantle. 'Next week, on Tuesday, is the beginning of sentencing. Her mother will be on the stand again and it is Amantle's birthday on Tuesday. It is not going to be easy,' she said. Amantle was playing with other children across the street from her home that day. Her mother was preparing clothes for her grade R graduation ceremony and completing other household chores, TimesLIVE reported previously. When she finished, she looked outside and saw Amantle was not there. She began searching and made the discovery of her child's body, partially undressed and covered in a blanket, only a few doors away. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane welcomed the decision by Simiao to not waste the NPA and the court's time by pleading guilty. 'W e look forward to the next step, which is pre-sentencing proceedings. As the state, we will prepare a victim impact report and further evidence will also be led' she said. TimesLIVE
