Latest news with #PretoriaNorthMagistrate'sCourt
The Citizen
14-05-2025
- The Citizen
Parents sentenced for murder and abuse of one-year-old daughter
The judge found the couple showed no remorse for abusing and killing their one-year-old daughter, Sphesihle. The Pretoria North Magistrate's Court sent a strong message against crimes targeting children by sentencing a couple for brutally murdering and abusing their one-year-old daughter. Joseph Molwana (25) and Zanele Njobe (20) were sentenced to life imprisonment and 15 years, respectively, for the premeditated murder of their daughter, Sphesihle Nonlanhla Njobe. The court sentenced Njobe to 15 years under the Child Justice Act, as she had been a minor at the time of the offence. Couple sentenced for brutal murder of baby girl On 15 May 2022, the couple woke up at Njobe's residence and noticed their daughter was unresponsive. Molwana and Njobe called their neighbours, and upon their arrival, the pair realised that little Sphesihle had died. The couple then notified Njobe's family, community members, and the police. When the police arrived, they arrested Molwana and Njobe at the scene. ALSO READ: Child abuse suspect nabbed in Roodepoort In court, the couple pleaded not guilty, claiming that they didn't know what happened to the toddler. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said Molwana and Njobe told the court that Sphesihle had been crying the previous night, but they didn't know what was wrong, and they fell asleep. 'However, State Prosecutor Hanlie du Preez led compelling evidence from a pathologist, which revealed that the child had been severely abused, with four broken ribs, bruises, and bite marks on her body,' Mahanjana said. Evidence showed child was severely abused During sentencing proceedings, the defence requested a deviation from the prescribed minimum sentences, arguing that Molwana was a first-time offender who had been in custody for over two years, and that Njobe, a minor at the time, lacked parental guidance. However, Du Preez urged the court to impose the prescribed sentence of life imprisonment, asserting that the couple had deliberately abused their one-year-old child. The prosecutor also stated that the community felt outraged by the incident and looked to the court to deliver justice. ALSO READ: Only 4% of child abuse cases lead to convictions, report finds In delivering judgment, Magistrate Pieter Nel agreed with the prosecution, finding that the couple showed no remorse and that the child had suffered prolonged abuse. He stressed the need to protect society from such people. 'The NPA hopes this sentence sends a strong message that gender-based violence (GBV) and crimes against children remain a priority and will be prosecuted without fear or favour,' Mahanjana said. Five years for child abuse The court also sentenced the couple to five years' direct imprisonment for child abuse and declared both unfit to work with children or possess a firearm. In addition, Molwana, a Mozambican national, received a two-year direct imprisonment sentence for being in South Africa illegally. The court ruled that all Molwana's sentences run concurrently with the life sentence.
IOL News
14-05-2025
- IOL News
'Broken ribs and bite marks': Pretoria couple jailed for brutal murder of their one-year-old daughter
Mozambican national Joseph Molwana, aged 25, and 20-year-old Zanele Njobe have been sentenced for the horrific murder of their daughter. Image: lcb/Pixabay The Pretoria North Magistrate's Court has sentenced a couple from Soshanguve, north of Tshwane, for killing their one-year-old child. Gauteng regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Lumka Mahanjana, said 25-year-old Mozambican national Joseph Molwana and 20-year-old Zanele Njobe were sentenced for the horrific murder of their daughter. 'Molwana was sentenced to life imprisonment for the premeditated murder of his one-year-old daughter, Sphesihle Nonlanhla Njobe. Zanele Njobe, who was a minor at the time of the offence, was sentenced to 15 years' direct imprisonment for the same offence, in terms of the Child Justice Act,' said Mahanjana. Both parents were further sentenced to five years' direct imprisonment for child abuse. In addition, Molwana received a two-year direct imprisonment sentence for being in South Africa illegally. 'The court ordered that all sentences for Molwana run concurrently with the life sentence. The court also declared both accused unfit to work with children and unfit to possess firearms,' said Mahanjana. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The court heard that on 15 May 2022, the couple was at Zanele's place of residence. When the couple woke up, they realised that their one-year-old daughter was not responsive. 'They went to call their neighbours. When the neighbours arrived, they realized that the child was dead. They then called Zanele Njobe's family, community members, and the police. On arrival, the police arrested the couple on the scene,' said Mahanjana. In court, both accused pleaded not guilty, claiming they were unaware of what had happened to the child. 'They said the child had been crying the previous night, but they did not know what was wrong and eventually fell asleep,' said Mahanjana. Mozambican national Joseph Molwana, aged 25, and 20-year-old Zanele Njobe were sentenced for the horrific murder of their daughter. Image: File However, State Prosecutor, Hanlie Du Preez, led compelling evidence from a pathologist, which revealed that the child had been severely abused, with four broken ribs, bruises, and bite marks on her body. During sentencing proceedings, the defence argued for a deviation from the prescribed minimum sentences, citing Molwana's status as a first-time offender who had been in custody for over two years, and Njobe's status as a minor at the time the crime was committed, lacking parental guidance. On the other hand, prosecutor Du Preez asked the court to impose the prescribed sentence of life imprisonment, arguing that the couple had deliberately committed serious offences of abuse towards their own child, who was only a year old. Furthermore, Du Preez submitted that the community was outraged by this offence, and their hopes were on the courts to send a clear message by the sentence imposed. In delivering judgment, Magistrate Pieter Nel agreed with the prosecution, finding that the couple showed no remorse, and that the child had suffered prolonged abuse. The court stressed the need to protect society from 'such individuals' like Molwana and Zanele. The National Prosecuting Authority has welcomed the sentences. Mahanjana said the NPA hopes the sentences send a strong message that gender-based violence (GBV) and crimes against children remain a priority, and will be prosecuted without fear or favour. Last year, IOL reported that a 48-year-old Limpopo woman, Stephina Sefekwane Chuene, appeared before the Polokwane Magistrate's Court after she was arrested for the brutal murder of her 18-year-old son. IOL News
