Amantle Samane's alleged killer to plead guilty
The man accused of raping and killing six-year-old Amantle Samane is expected to plead guilty to all charges against him.
Phethe Simiao appeared briefly before the High Court in Johannesburg on Monday morning, where he faces charges of kidnapping, rape, murder, and immigration-related charges.
Simiao, who is a Mozambican national, was arrested in October last year following the discovery of Samane’s lifeless body in his rented room in Orlando, south of Johannesburg.
READ: Amantle Samane’s alleged killer abandons bail
Initially, Simiao was only willing to plead guilty to contravening the Immigration Act by living in South Africa illegally.
His lawyer, Advocate Ndivhuwo Masindi, spoke to the SABC outside the court on Monday, where he said his client made the decision after the state disclosed the case docket to the defense.
"Before we go on trial, we have to receive copies of the docket, which we did receive. We perused it, and after a thorough consultation with my client, that is when we decided that he will plead guilty on all four counts.
“So, we have taken that decision after we had received the disclosure from the state. He [Simiao] indicated that he did not want to waste the state's time by going for a long trial. That is why he decided to plead guilty."
The matter was postponed until 15 August to allow the court to finalise other matters on its roll.
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