One Pontsho Mohlanka, a tavern owner in Orange Farm, Johannesburg, South Africa has been handed three life sentences for the murder of 3 children.
Mohlanka was sentenced on Tuesday, September 13, by a high court sitting in the Palm Ridge magistrate’s court, on the East Rand, for the 2020 murder of 5-year-old Mzwandile Zitho, Simphiwe Mgcina, 6, and Mpho Makondo, 8.
Mzwandile was killed in April and his naked body was found between a counter and a fridge inside Mohlanka’s tavern in the south of Johannesburg.
ATTENTION: Click “HERE” to join our WhatsApp group and receive News updates directly on your WhatsApp!
The boy’s body had no visible wounds but his face was found smeared with black substance. A postmortem report found that Mzwandile died due to suffocation.
Simphiwe and Mpho were killed 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 black substance.
Suffocation was also cited as the cause of death.
Mohlanka’s lover, who is under witness protection, said the children were killed to ”grow” their tavern business.
He told the court that the couple regularly consulted different traditional healers recommended by Mohlanka.
Mohlanka, pleaded not guilty to all charges.
She was however, disappointed by the sentence but didn’t give much away as she walked silently out of court.
As she walked out of the court room with her head down, family members of the deceased and Orange Farm residents cheered in celebration.
