Mozambican woman sentenced to 30 years for murder of Ratanda toddler
Pretoria High Court convicts Penina Felipe Sambo for killing 3-year-old Melokuhle Ngwenya; also found guilty of being in South Africa illegally
The Pretoria High Court, sitting in Benoni, sentenced Penina Felipe Sambo (38), a female Mozambican national, to 30 years imprisonment for murdering three-year-old Melokuhle Ngwenya in Ratanda.
Sambo also pleaded guilty to a charge of being in the country illegally, and the court also declared her unfit to possess a firearm.
On April 3, 2024, the victim’s grandfather sent her to a neighbour’s home on Maphiri Street to buy sweets.
The address was also where Sambo lied. Sambo sold the child the sweets and invited her to sit with her on a couch.
Later, she strangled the toddler and hid her body in a dustbin outside the house.
When Melokuhle did not return home, her mother reported her missing at the Ratanda Police Station.
Police officers immediately went to investigate and found the child’s body while searching the property. They arrested Sambo at the scene on April 4, and she has remained in custody since.
The murder sparked outrage in the community, and residents vented their frustrations by vandalising and burning a vehicle on the premises.
The National Prosecuting Authority welcomed the sentencing.
