Amantle Semane's killer to be sentenced in Johannesburg High Court

Twenty-five-year-old Phethe Simiao, a Mozambican national, pleaded guilty to charges of kidnapping, rape, murder and contravention of the Immigration Act after the little girl’s body was found in his shack in Orlando, Soweto, in October last year.

During pre-sentencing proceedings, Amantle’s mother, Ntombizodwa Samane, delivered a heartbreaking Victim Impact Statement, telling the court how her daughter’s brutal death had torn her family apart.

“This matter, that I lost my child Amantle, affected me a lot. My emotions and mind were not in the right place. I don’t even sleep at night. When I hear a child crying, I just get frustrated and miss my child,"

"I just think of the state she was in when I found her lying on the floor,” she told the court.

She pleaded with the judge to impose at least three life sentences on Simiao, saying his actions had not only devastated her family but also created anger and resentment in the community.

Simiao’s defence lawyer, however, argued that his guilty plea was a sign of remorse and asked the court to consider a lighter sentence.

The sentencing comes nearly a year after Amantle’s death, a case that shocked Soweto and reignited concerns over the safety of children in South Africa.

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