A 44-year-old Gauteng mother has been sentenced to two life terms in prison for the premeditated murders of her two young children.
Nonkululeko Mbatha was convicted in the Gauteng Division of the High Court, sitting in Palm Ridge, following the deaths of her nine-year-old child and seven-month-old infant.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the court heard that on 5 February 2025, Mbatha poisoned food and fed it to the children at their home in Zuurbekom, Westonaria.
The infant died at the scene, while the older child was rushed to hospital, where he died six days later, on 11 February 2025.
Mbatha also consumed some of the poisoned food in an apparent attempt to take her own life but survived.
An investigation led by Westonaria SAPS Sergeant Mokgalagadi found that Mbatha had purchased several packets of poison and food from a local takeaway before the incident.
She allegedly mixed the poison into the food before feeding it to her children. The court further heard that she took photographs and videos of the children while they were in distress and shared them with family members and friends.
Mbatha also left a suicide note addressed to the father of one of the children.
During sentencing proceedings, Senior State Advocate Rolene Barnard argued for a harsher sentence, saying Mbatha had betrayed the trust placed in her as a parent and deliberately killed her children after taking several preparatory steps.
Barnard submitted that recording the children’s final moments was an aggravating factor. She also argued that Mbatha’s attempt to take her own life should not reduce her responsibility for the murders.
In her judgment, Judge Mfenyana found that Mbatha had several opportunities to reconsider her actions but proceeded with the killings.
The judge also highlighted the vulnerability of the children, who had relied on their mother for care and protection.
The NPA has welcomed the sentence, which imposes two life terms for the murders.