NPA claims it has its ‘ducks in a row’ as Amantle Samane murder case transferred to high court

The matter of rape and murder accused Pethe Simiao in connection to the case of six-year-old Amantle Samane, will be transferred to the High Court on Monday.

The Mozambican national briefly appeared at the Protea Magistrate’s Court via camera on Friday before the matter was postponed to Monday for the serving of the indictment.

He faces charges of rape, murder, kidnapping, and contravention of Section 49 of the Immigration Act.

Phindi Mjonondwane, spokesperson for the Gauteng NPA, confirmed that investigations have been concluded and that the NPA is ready. 

“The matter will be transferred to the high court on Monday soon after the indictment has been served. Investigations are concluded, and we are ready to proceed to trial. However, before we reach that stage, the matter will first appear before the high court so that the indictment can be formally placed on record. After that, the accused will be given an opportunity to state their readiness for trial,” she explained.

“In terms of the immigration status or any associated concerns, those details will be revealed during the plea and trial stage.”

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According to Mjonondwane, once all parties have indicated their readiness and gone through the case management process, a trial date will be set.

Mjonondwane added the state was ready to proceed and would present a formidable case.

“All GBV matters are handled with the necessary care, and we always ensure, as the NPA, that we have the most experienced prosecutors dealing with such cases, given their critical nature. We are ready as the state to proceed. The prosecutor handling the matter has already conducted all necessary consultations with witnesses. We have our ducks in a row and are ready to present a formidable case in court,” she said. 

She also dismissed concerns raised about NPA’s handling of GBV-related cases following the acquittal of televangelist Timothy Omotoso and his co-accused.

“What we can assure the nation is that the NPA remains committed to playing its role in fighting gender-based violence. We have had many cases where we have performed well in ensuring that justice is delivered, and we will continue to be a voice for gender-based violence victims in court.”

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A family representative, Brenda Mjiyako, expressed relief at the developments of the case. 

“We are happy that the case is finally moving forward. There’s hope that the family will get the deserved justice. We just hope it won’t be prolonged further and that once it gets to trial, it will be smooth. We wish that this will be a wake-up for our government. We are tired that children get killed and raped and nothing happens, so we hope this case will be different.”

Meanwhile Dineo Mukhari, a teacher at Ditawana Primary School, where Samane was attending Grade R at the time, was among the supporters outside the court on Friday. 

She said: “When Amantle passed on, the very first day, everyone was there — the ANC and other political parties. But now? We don’t even see one of them,” she said. 

“So my question is: what is happening? When will we finally see justice — not only for Amantle, but for all our children? When will Amantle’s mother finally receive the support and dignity she was promised?”