The woman murdered the child because she believed the girl's mother was responsible for the death of her own nine-month-old baby.
Noluvuyo Sinyikatha appeared in the Eastern Cape High on Monday, 7 August 2026.
A 23-year-old woman has been convicted of the death of a six-year-old girl, with the court finding that she drowned the child in a river after blaming the girl’s mother for the death of her own infant.
Noluvuyo Sinyikatha appeared in the Eastern Cape High Court in Mthatha on Monday, 7 August 2026, where the verdict was handed down.
Sinyikatha was charged with the premeditated murder of Likuwe Mpokopi.
‘Lifeless body’
The child’s lifeless body was discovered floating in the river by women collecting firewood during the late afternoon of the incident. Community members gathered at the scene, but no one initially knew how the child had drowned in a shallow stream situated some distance from her home.
Two days later, a community member informed the police that she had seen Sinyikatha walking with the deceased child towards the river shortly before midday on the day of the murder.
Evidence
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Luxolo Tiyali said that, relying on compelling circumstantial evidence and a confession that Sinyikatha later sought to repudiate, the court found that she murdered the child because she believed the girl’s mother was responsible for the death of her own nine-month-old baby, who had died a few days earlier.
“Following her arrest, Sinyikatha confessed that she had killed the child because she believed her own baby had been killed by the deceased’s mother. The deceased’s mother is the sister of Sinyikatha’s boyfriend and the father of her late child.
“The families had been living together at the Mpokopi homestead before the infant died following an illness,” Tiyali said.
Trial
When the trial commenced, Sinyikatha challenged the admissibility of her confession, resulting in a trial-within-a-trial. The court ultimately ruled the confession admissible.
State Advocate Siphokazi Maarman led evidence from witnesses, including the community member who saw the accused leaving the homestead with the child and another witness who observed a woman matching the accused’s description dragging a young girl towards the river.
Conviction welcomed
Tiyali said that although there were no eyewitnesses to the actual drowning, the court found that the State had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
“The Director of Public Prosecutions in the Eastern Cape, Advocate Samkelo Mtwana, commended both the prosecutor and the investigating officer for their dedication and professionalism in securing the conviction.
“Attention now turns to the sentencing proceedings, scheduled for 18 September 2026, where the State will seek an appropriate sentence that reflects the gravity of the offence,” he said.
Tiyali added that the NPA remains steadfast in its commitment to combating violence against society’s most vulnerable members and ensuring that victims and their families receive justice through the criminal justice system.
