A 23-year-old woman has been found guilty of the premeditated murder of a six-year-old girl after a High Court in Mthatha relied on circumstantial evidence and a disputed confession to establish her involvement in the killing.
Noluvuyo Sinyikatha was convicted for the murder of Likuwe Mpokopi, who was drowned in a river at Ngcanasini, Mqanduli, on 28 August 2024.
Likuwe’s body was discovered floating in the river by women collecting firewood later that afternoon. At first, there was little information about how the child had ended up in the shallow stream.
The investigation took a significant turn two days later when a community member approached police and reported seeing Sinyikatha walking towards the river with Likuwe shortly before midday on the day of the murder.
Sinyikatha later confessed to killing the child, claiming she believed Likuwe’s mother was responsible for the death of her own nine-month-old baby, who had died several days earlier after an illness.
She subsequently challenged the admissibility of the confession, leading to a trial-within-a-trial. The court, however, ruled that the confession could be admitted as evidence.
State Advocate Siphokazi Maarman also presented testimony from witnesses who placed Sinyikatha with the child before the killing. Another witness reported seeing a woman matching Sinyikatha’s description dragging a young girl towards the river.
Although nobody witnessed the actual drowning, the High Court concluded that the combined evidence was sufficient to prove Sinyikatha’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Sinyikatha is due back in court on 18 September 2026 for sentencing.
Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Samkelo Mtwana praised the prosecution and investigation teams for their work in bringing the case to a successful conclusion.
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