Cape Town - A man who stabbed his ex-girlfriend’s child 28 times to get back at her, has been sentenced in the Western Cape High Court to 25 years imprisonment.
Zipho Nqoko, 24, was found guilty on charges of kidnapping and premeditated murder of eight-year-old Imange Jantjies, 8.
He stabbed the child 28 times in the neck after the child’s mother, Anelisiwe Jantjies broke off her relationship with Nqoko.
The court heard that Nqoko worked night shifts as a security guard.
The court heard he would usually fetch his girlfriend after getting off duty in the morning for them to sleep together.
However, on August 19, 2021, Jantjies could not go sleep with Nqoko as she was busy cleaning her aunt’s house which had been flooded.
She told Nqoko she’d see him later.
At midday, he came back to Jantjies and demanded she go with him. She asked him to wait as she still had to cook for her son.
At the time, Imange was playing outside with a friend.
Jantjies went looking for her child a while later and could not find him.
During the trial, several witnesses for the state testified they had last seen the boy in Nqoko’s presence.
Jantjies was informed by a friend that Nqoko was seen covered in blood and he had confessed to that friend that he had done something big. He never elaborated on the details.
Imange was reported missing by his mother, uncle and friend.
The court heard Nqoko arrived at the police station where he told Jantjies he murdered her son.
He was immediately arrested.
When police went to Nqoko’s house they found the child’s body with 28 stab wounds to the neck.
State prosecutor, advocate Lenro Badenhorst told the court Nqoko went to the extreme by threatening Jantjies with violence to persons close to her to get her to do what he wanted.
“It is submitted that the conduct of the accused must be evaluated in the light of his threat to kill the son of Anelisiwe Jantjies and with the further trigger that she ended the relationship. The accused was in a possessive and jealous relationship with the mother of the deceased and wanted to control her for his pleasure.
“The accused had a smirk on his face at the police station after having told Anelisiwe Jantjies he killed her son.
“It is submitted that the totality of evidence pointed to the inference that the state of mind was that the accused had the direct intention to kill Imange Jantjies to get back at Anelisiwe Jantjies.
“In this regard, the accused stabbed the deceased approximately 28 times in the neck as reflected in the post-mortem report. Seven of these wounds were fatal by themselves,” he argued.
During sentencing, the court said a balanced approach must be adopted to harsh prison sentences, as prisons are “grim and hellish” places.
“It is so, that prison conditions in our country are particularly dire, and prisoners experience extreme overcrowding, including poor ventilation, lack of natural light, inadequate ablution facilities, lack of sanitation and privacy, insufficient supervision and poor healthcare provision,” the court heard.
The court sentenced Nqoko to 25 years imprisonments for murder and five years imprisonment for kidnapping.
The sentences will run concurrently.
robin.francke@inl.co.za
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