A Gauteng mother has been handed an eight-year sentence wholly suspended for five years, for the murder of her 16-year-old son and attempted murder of her 10-year-old daughter, who was seven years old at the time.
The Pretoria High Court, sitting in Benoni, sentenced the mother on Friday, and the judge said part of her sentence was suspended on the condition that she is not convicted of murder during that period.
The mother was arrested in June 2022 after she fed her children food laced with poison.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Regional Spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, said the incident occurred shortly after she had fallen victim to a financial scam and was unable to pay her children’s school fees. Additionally, she had recently discovered that she had contracted a disease.
"After feeding the poisoned food to her children, she drove with them toward the Free State Province. Upon reaching Frankfort, the children began to fall ill. She stopped at a local filling station, requested assistance, and disclosed what she had done. Emergency services were called, and the children were transported to Frankfort Hospital where the son died," said Mahanjana.
She was subsequently arrested and released on R5,000 bail.
During the mitigation of sentence, Mahanjana said the mother asked the court to deviate from imposing the prescribed life sentence because she was the primary caregiver of her surviving child.
"She also told the court that she was remorseful of her actions, and at the time of the incident she was not in the right frame of mind due to her recent diagnosis."
Mahanjana added that the father of the deceased teenager was also called to testify regarding the victim's impact. He testified that while he has forgiven the mother, he continues to struggle with the pain of losing his son.
Meanwhile, acting Judge Van der Westhuizen found that there were substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed life sentence.
"The court considered the mother's genuine remorse, the fact that she was the primary caregiver of her surviving child, the betrayal and the emotional trauma she suffered from the father of her daughter, and her mental health challenges, including depression, at the time of the incident," said Mahanjana.