A 37-year-old woman, Clara Masinga, has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for poisoning her 11-year-old stepdaughter by adding rat poison to her ice cream. The motive behind this heinous act was believed to be a vendetta against the girl’s biological mother.
Masinga was convicted of premeditated murder after entering a guilty plea under a Section 105A agreement with the State. The sentencing took place on Wednesday, October 15, at the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court in Mbombela, South Africa.
The court heard that on March 21, 2015, Masinga sent the victim’s friend to fetch her while she waited nearby in KwaMhlushwa, Malelane. Upon their return, she enlisted an accomplice to watch over the children while she purchased ice cream and rat poison from a store.
Together, they mixed the poison into the ice cream and gave it to the victim, Jennifer Gumbi. Jennifer was later discovered dumped in a ditch near the Mlumati River after consuming the poisoned treat.
To cover her tracks, Masinga poured boiling water on Jennifer’s body. She was apprehended following a brief police investigation and confessed to her actions in court, acknowledging their unlawfulness.
In her plea, Masinga admitted that her intention behind the murder was to spite Jennifer’s biological mother. Consequently, the court decided to impose a 23-year direct imprisonment sentence, deviating from the minimum prescribed penalty.
Judge Vukeya criticized the escalating cases of domestic violence in South Africa and the ongoing violence against women and children. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomed the sentence and praised the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies in apprehending the perpetrator.
NPA’s regional spokesperson, Monica Nyuswa, emphasized the agency’s commitment to vigorously prosecuting cases of domestic and gender-based violence to deter potential offenders and uphold the sanctity of human life.