A woman from KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) was handed a life sentence for the kidnapping and murder of a 10-year-old child with the intent of selling her organs. 40-year-old Zandile Nsele was sentenced in the Durban High Court on Tuesday.
According to Natasha Kara, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) provincial spokesperson, Nsele received 25 years for murder and kidnapping Sphumelelo Mzimba in June 2019 in the Nazareth area, near Pinetown. The girl lived with her mother in the same area as Nsele. “They both knew each other and often visited each other’s homes,” said Kara.
“Nsele, who was unemployed and experiencing financial problems, decided to kidnap the victim and ask for a ransom from her parents. She also planned to kill the child and sell her organs and/or soft tissue. To this end she prepared a place to dispose of the body.
The court heard that on the day of the murder, Nsele told her neighbour Mzimba to come to her house pretending that she would take her to the shop to buy sweets.
“When the child arrived at her house, Nsele restrained her and bound her neck and ankles, thus fatally injuring her. Once the child was dead, Nsele removed some of her internal organs and soft tissue and disposed of the body in the prepared spot.
“That night Nsele contacted the child’s mother demanding a sum of R20 000 for the child’s safe return. The next morning she fled to Johannesburg, where she made two subsequent calls to the mother demanding R20 000 for her child’s safe return. She was arrested shortly afterwards.”
Nsele from KZN was sentenced to life for murder, six years imprisonment for kidnapping, nine years for the attempted extortion, and 10 years imprisonment for contravening the National Health Act of South Africa.
Source: News24, IOL, image from IOL
