Mpumalanga High Court sentences child’s murderer to life
The court convicted and sentenced a Barberton caregiver to life in prison for the murder of a three-year-old child.
Nompumelelo Portia Nkambule (37) of Louwville, Barberton, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of her ex boyfriend’s minor daughter, Philisiwe Charlotte Nkosi (3), on September 17.
Nkambule and the child’s father were in a relationship and separated after her death.
Between December 2020 and February 2021, the child’s father, Collen Nkosi, placed his daughter under Nkambule’s care as he had to go and look for employment. The child’s biological mother had passed away the September before.
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While the child was in Nkambule’s voluntary care, she struggled to relieve herself and appeared as if she was not potty-trained. Nkambule started to assault her with a tree branch whenever she soiled herself on separate occasions over a period of time.
As a result, the child sustained severe multiple blunt injuries on her body and on the back of her head to which she succumbed.
An inquest docket to probe the circumstances of the victim’s death was conducted and it led to Nkambule’s arrest.
In the Mpumalanga High Court, Nkambule pleaded not guilty and denied having contributed to the death of the victim. The state advocate, Tula Bekwa, led with evidence from the investigating officer.
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He testified that during the investigation he managed to question the victim’s father about the injuries on his daughter’s body, and was informed that she had not had any injuries prior to visiting Nkambule.
His evidence was supported with the testimony of Nkambule’s daughter, who witnessed her mother assaulting the victim with a tree branch on two occasions. She stated that she had seen the victim falling on the ground.
The evidence was further supported with a testimony of a medical doctor who conducted a post-mortem. The doctor testified that the victim’s kidneys had been bleeding, which eventually caused them to collapse, leading to her death.
Bekwa handed in a victim impact statement. In his statement, the victim’s father said he had lost trust in everyone, as his child had died at the hands of the person he trusted. He added that the death of his child disturbed him mentally and physically.
