Boy (1) killed as satanic sacrifice: Tshwane uncle jailed for life

A man from Ekangala will spend life behind bars after being found guilty of killing his one-year-old nephew as a satanic sacrifice.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority’s regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, the Pretoria High Court ordered that Sipho Vincent Maseko (37) be declared unfit to possess a firearm and that the police should conduct a search and seizure of firearms at his home.

“The court further ordered that the mother of the deceased be informed should Maseko be eligible for parole and make representations.”

Mahanjana says the boy’s mother was living with her parents at their home in Ekangala.

“On September 30, 2020, a day before the deceased [turned one], Maseko (the mother’s brother) visited his parental home where the child was with the helper because the mother had gone to work.

“He sent the helper to the shop to buy airtime. While the helper was out, Maseko strangled the child with a rope, jumped on his chest several times, poured boiling water on his face and ran to hide in the bushes.”

Mahanjana says when the helper returned from the shop, she found the lifeless body of the child covered on the bed.

“After a few hours [of] hiding, Maseko called his family. When he heard the commotion of the community over the phone, he went to the police and handed himself in. He has been in custody since.”

According to Mahanjana, Maseko pleaded guilty to the charge of premeditated murder.

“In his guilty plea, he said he killed his nephew as a form of satanic sacrifice to have money, and the day he killed the child he was not himself, the devil took over him.

“He also told the court that he had tried to kill his nephew two weeks before, by smothering him with his hand, but he survived because he cried.

“However, after the first attempt, the child sustained permanent damage, which resulted in him being disabled.”

During sentencing, prosecutor advocate Andre Wilsenach read into the record the victim impact statement facilitated by court preparation officer Lebongang Lebese. In the statement, the mother described her brother as a monster and devil.

She told the court that the incident left her emotionally damaged, and said she went through a phase of consuming alcohol to try and numb the pain. In addition, stress and a lack of sleep led to a miscarriage.

“The mother, who now has a four-month-old baby, said she fears for the child [as] what happened to her deceased son [could] happen again.”

Mahanjana says in aggravation, Wilsenach told the court that Maseko did not show true remorse; he didn’t apologise to the family for what he did.

“He sacrificed the child because he wanted fortune and was motivated by greed. Therefore, he asked the court to impose a just sentence of life imprisonment. ”

Judge Mashudu Munzhelele agreed with the state that Maseko was motivated by greed. Instead of taking responsibility, he shifted the blame to the devil.

“He failed to protect a child. Instead, the boy suffered at the hands of his uncle. Therefore, Munzhelele said she found no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentence, and she hoped the sentence would educate the public about the importance of protecting the most vulnerable.”