Life in prison for killer mom

An emontional Maditla cried as judge Sheila Mphahlele delivered judgement.

Before she was taken down to the cells, her mother gave her a long hug, whilst other family members yelled “We love you and we will come visit you!”

After she was lead down to the cells, you could still hear Maditla crying in the courtroom.

Maditla had made a full confession of murdering her two boys and two girls, Minenhle (8), Blessing (6), Shanique (4) and Ettiene (11 months) by putting rat poison in the three eldest food and lacing yogurt with the poison before rubbing it on her nipples.

During her confession in court on Tuesday, she said she made the discovery that another woman was in her boyfriend’s bedroom. This lead to an argument between the couple and to her decision to kill her children and herself, she testified.

Maditla also testified about how she went out drinking with friends after she killed her children, and only returned home in the early morning hours. She then tried to revive her children and sat with their corpses for hours.

She covered the children’s bodies with a blanket when she noticed that the children where not breathing.

On December 29 she told her boyfriend that she is going to visit her father in Johannesburg and she gave him the keys to her bedroom telling him check up on the children.

She told the court how she went on a drinking spree again before buying more rat poison to try and kill herself for the second time.

The children’s bodies were decomposed at the time of their discovery. The court heard how their tongues have turned black.

“These children were victims of her battles with Shongwe. She be betrayed her own children as a result the suffered a prolonged painful death, ” said Judge Mphahlele.

Judge Maphahele said what is disturbing is that the children died in their home where they were supposed to feel safe.