DURBAN – A Durban woman convicted of the murder and kidnapping of a teenage girl, whose family she had been friends with will know her fate soon.
NPA spokesperson in KZN Natasha Kara said the accused Zandile Nsele, 40, of Nazareth Pinetown will be sentenced next month.
In addition to murder and kidnapping, Nsele was found guilty of attempted extortion charges and contravention of the National Health Act.
She was convicted of killing 14-year-old Sphumelelo Mzimba on June 13, 2019.
According to the NPA, Nsele, 40, lived a short distance away from Mzimba and they often visited at each other’s homes. “The accused, who was unemployed and had been experiencing financial difficulties, planned to kidnap and murder Mzimba.
“She planned to demand ransom from her parents and remove her organs and/or body parts for sale. She planned to meet the young woman on the pretext of taking her to the shop to buy her chips,” said the NPA’s Natasha Kara.
She said on June 13,2019, Mzimba went to Nsele home and on arrival, the accused restrained her and bound her neck and ankles.
The teenager sustained fatal injuries. “Nsele removed some of the deceased’s organs and/or body parts before dumping the body in a bush near her home.
“During the course of that same night she demanded a sum of R20 000 from Mzimba’s mother for the safe return of her daughter,” said Kara.
In the early morning hours of June 14, Nsele fled the scene to Joburg. While there, she made two further demands for ransom money from the deceased’s mother in the amount of R20 000.
Mzimba’s body was found on July 4, 2019.
“Post-mortem results revealed the cause of death was undetermined due to advanced decomposition.”
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