“Based on the evidence by both pathologists, during suffocation, death does not occur immediately. Oxygen must be cut off and after a period, unconsciousness will set in, followed by death.
“In other words, a closing of all the airways simultaneously until death occurs. This takes time, however short, in which the accused had time to reflect on her actions.”
These are the words of acting judge Lilian van Wyk as she handed three life terms to Orange Farm tavern owner Pontsho Mohlanka for the killings of three children that happened five months apart in 2020.
Van Wyk told the high court sitting in the Palm Ridge magistrate’s court on Tuesday that Mohlanka had a chance to spare the three children's lives but did not.
Mzwandile Zitho, 5, was killed in April 2020 and his naked body was found between a counter and a fridge inside Mohlanka’s tavern in the south of Johannesburg.
The boy’s body had no visible wounds but his face was found smeared with a black substance. A postmortem report found that Mzwandile died due to suffocation.
Five months later, the tavern owner killed Simphiwe Mgcina, 6, and Mpho Makondo, 8, on the same day in September.
Their naked bodies were found dumped in the street, close to Mohlanka’s tavern.
The pair also had no visible wounds and their faces were found smeared with a black substance. Suffocation was also cited as the cause of death.
Mohlanka, 31, had pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Handing down sentence, Van Wyk said the three murders were premeditated and could have been avoided.
Van Wyk said the families of the three children are still struggling to deal with their deaths.
“The children were deprived [of] their right to live. They were vulnerable and were supposed to be safe in the street. The deceased in count one [Mzwandile] was a muthi murder, while the deceased in counts two and three were killed to send false messages,” said Van Wyk.
During the trial, Mohlanka told the court that the children were killed by a creature sourced by her boyfriend to boost their tavern profits.
But Mohlanka’s boyfriend, who was a state witness, dismissed these claims.
The boyfriend cannot be named as he was placed under witness protection.
He told the court that there was no creature residing in their tavern but he admitted that the couple regularly consulted with traditional healers for business guidance.
He said the traditional healers they consulted were always recommended by Mohlanka.
Members of the affected families attended sentencing proceedings. Some in the packed court gallery broke down when the sentence was handed down.
“I am happy with the sentence. The sentence will hopefully send a strong message to other criminals in our community. The sad part is that we will never see our children again because of what she did,” said Simphiwe’s mother, Busisiwe Mgcina.
Mzwandile’s grandmother, Nompumelelo Zitho, expressed a similar sentiment, adding that she still maintains that more people should have been arrested along with Mohlanka.
“I still believe that she was working with other people when she killed our children. She has not told us the entire truth. I am satisfied with today’s court decision but I am still hoping for more arrests,” she said.
Mohlanka seemed disappointed by the sentence, but she did not give much away as she walked silently out of court.
As the murderer walked out with her head down, members of the grieving families and Orange Farm residents cheered in celebration.
She cried as she got to the holding cells.
nzimandeb@sowetan.co.za
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