The High Court in Johannesburg has sentenced 34-year-old Nonhlelelwa Matsebula to 30 years in prison for the kidnapping and murder of a four-year-old girl in Protea, Soweto.

The court heard how Matsebula lured the child while she was playing in a yard, intending to extort ransom money from her parents.

She gave the child juice laced with sleeping tablets, tied a cable around her neck, and placed a sock in her mouth.

The child died from suffocation caused by the cable tie.

Matsebula pleaded guilty to the crime and admitted that her actions were wrongful and unlawful.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane says, “The court further ordered that Matsebula must serve 20 years of the imposed sentence before she can be considered for parole. As the NPA, we welcome the sentence as it signals the seriousness of the criminal justice system in removing those that perpetrate the senseless killing of children for self-enrichment. We hope that sentence will serve as a deterrent.”