DailySun
Pretoria – A 38-year-old woman, motivated by jealousy, has pled guilty to the murder of her neighbor’s 3-year-old daughter and disposing of the body in a dustbin, resulting in a 30-year prison term.
The accused admitted to harboring resentment towards the child’s mother, suspecting her of having an affair with her boyfriend.
Penina Felipe Sambo, a Mozambican national, pleaded guilty in the Pretoria High Court in Benoni and was convicted of the premeditated murder of Melokuhle Ngwenya.
Sentenced on Wednesday, 30 April 2025, the accused also recognized her illegal status in the country.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) expressed satisfaction with the 30-year direct imprisonment sentence handed to Sambo.
The court additionally ruled her unfit to possess a firearm.
Narrating the events that led to the conviction, NPA Gauteng Spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana noted that on 3 April 2024, little Melokuhle left her home in Ratanda to buy sweets from a neighbor.
Excitedly, she had received money from her grandfather for treats.
“Upon reaching the neighbor’s house, where Sambo resided, she bought some sweets and then sat on the couch with her,” Mahanjana explained.
“A few minutes later, Sambo began to strangle her to death and then disposed of her body in an outdoor recycling bin.
“When the child failed to return home, her mother reported her missing to the police.”
Officers subsequently visited Sambo’s residence, where the child was last seen.
“During the search of Sambo’s home, the child’s body was found in the dustbin,” Mahanjana reported.
“Sambo was arrested at the scene and has been in custody ever since.”
In her guilty plea, Sambo indicated that her actions were motivated by the anger she felt towards the child’s mother, whom she believed was having an affair with her boyfriend.
During sentencing, she requested clemency, arguing for a deviation from the minimum sentence due to being a first-time offender and showing remorse through her plea.
However, Prosecutor Advocate Sipho Lalani argued that Sambo was guilty of grave crimes prevalent in the court’s jurisdiction.
He urged the court to consider the child’s young age and the justice deserved by her grieving family.
Lalani called for a sentence that would resonate strongly with society.
When announcing the sentence, Judge France Van Der Westhuizen expressed approval of Sambo’s guilty plea.
While acknowledging the law’s recommendations for life imprisonment for such offenses, he concluded that the 30-year sentence was appropriate.
