Nonhlelelwa Matsebula (34) was sentenced to 30 years in prison by the Johannesburg High Court after confessing to killing a four-year-old girl by tying a cable around her neck and stuffing the child’s body in a suitcase.
Matsebula received her sentence on Wednesday for the January 2024 kidnapping and killing of Keeya Mbulawa. The murder took place in Protea Glen, Soweto.
Judge Gcina Malindi was informed by the prosecutor, advocate Colleen Ryan, during Wednesday’s court proceedings that Matsebula planned to enter a guilty plea.
Plea deal with the state
Malindi was also informed by Matsebula’s attorney from Legal Aid South Africa that the accused had made a plea deal with the state.
Ryan informed the court that police investigations conducted by Captain Isaac Khubeka showed that on January 13, 2024, Matsebula joined the kids playing in the garden in Protea Glen and abducted Keeya with the intention of conniving her parents out of money.
She put a sock in Keeya’s mouth, tied a cable around her neck, and gave her juice laced with pills to put her to sleep.
After packing Keeya into a suitcase, she tried to leave the scene, but Keeya’s mother confronted her.
According to Ryan, Matsebula left the suitcase behind and vanished, but on January 29, 2024, she was taken into custody after her picture went viral on social media.
Complications from suffocation
She stated that Keeya passed away on January 17, 2024, as a result of complications from suffocation brought on by the cable tied around the child’s neck.
According to Ryan, Matsebula acknowledged that her actions were wrong and illegal and confessed to the crime.
Ryan said that it was cruel for Matsebula to have given the parents hope by making them think that their child was still alive when in reality she was already dead, and that Matsebula had the complete intent of extorting Keeya’s parents.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) “welcomes the sentence as it reflects the gravity of the senseless and tragic crime, ensuring that justice is served for the victim and the family while sending a strong message that such acts of violence will not be tolerated in society,” according to Phindi Mjonondwane, regional spokesperson for the NPA.
