The 25-year-old man admitted to strangling Samane in an attempt to conceal the rape.
Pethe Sara Simiao, a Mozambican national, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of six-year-old Amantle Samane.
Simiao appeared before the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on Monday for sentencing.
This followed his guilty plea to four charges — kidnapping, rape, murder, and contravention of the Immigration Act — relating to the child’s death in October 2024.
The 25-year-old man admitted to strangling Samane in an attempt to conceal the rape, claiming he had been under the influence of alcohol at the time.
Samane’s mother, Ntombizodwa, testified on 19 August that her daughter’s murder had caused her to develop resentment toward foreign nationals.
She also appealed to the court to impose three life sentences on Simiao.
Judgment in Amantle Samane murder case
During Monday’s sentencing proceedings, Judge William Karam addressed her statement, saying: “Whilst this is understandable in the circumstances, one must bear in mind that of the many foreigners that we have in our country and even those that are here unlawfully, many are good and hard-working people who are simply here to seek a better life.
“The horrific crimes that the accused chose to perpetrate have no bearing on foreigners from his country, or from other countries, and irrespective of whether they are lawful in South Africa,” Karam said.
The judge took note of Simiao’s plea statement, in which he highlighted his personal circumstances in an effort to secure a lighter sentence.
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“It was submitted that he demonstrated remorse for his being guilty. He is the first offender.
“He was arrested two days after the commission of the offences on counts one, two and three and has been in custody since,” he said.
The court sentenced Simiao to two years for kidnapping, life imprisonment for murder, life imprisonment for rape, and two years for contravening the Immigration Act.
“By operation of the law, all sentences imposed will run concurrently with a life sentence,” Karam ruled.
Arrest
Simiao was arrested on 23 October at a house in Zola, Soweto.
This came just two days after Samane’s body was discovered in a shack in Orlando East.
Her body was found following a desperate search by her family and neighbours after she went missing.
The young girl was last seen on 21 October, playing with other children in the street.
Investigations also revealed that Simiao had entered South Africa illegally in 2022 using a Mozambican passport, which is only set to expire in 2027.
He never legally returned to Mozambique, thus violating immigration laws.
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