The Samane family and the community of Orlando East, Soweto, have welcomed the sentencing of convicted rape and murderer, 25-year-old Phethe Simiao, on Monday, to two life terms by the Gauteng South High Court sitting in Johannesburg.

Simiao was convicted of kidnapping, rape, and the murder of six-year-old Amantle Samane from Orlando East in October 2024.

Speaking following the judgment, Amantle’s mother, Ntombizodwa Samane, welcomed the sentence, saying her child will now rest in peace knowing that her rapist has finally been convicted.

“I’m sure my child will now rest in peace. This well-received sentence will deter other men from killing and raping our children. Maybe then they will stop,” she said.

Samane said even though the family welcomes the hefty sentence against Simiao, the family is still reeling from the death of their child, almost a year after the incident.

“We are still mourning our child and are yet to find closure, even though he has been found guilty. He is yet to tell us what drove him to rape and kill our child,” she stated.

The sentencing was handed down by presiding Judge William Karam, who stated that the court was satisfied with the evidence following Simiao’s arrest over 10 months ago.

“The court has satisfied itself that the nature of the charges, as well as the minimum sentence legislation, and the implications thereof. On 15 August 2025, the accused pleaded guilty to all charges as charged. These include Exhibit B, the post-mortem report relating to count two.

“Exhibit C being the affidavit from the official of the Home Affairs relating to count 4 and Exhibit D, photographs of the crime scene being the accused’s shack where counts two and three were committed and where the body of the deceased was discovered,” he stated.

“The viciousness of Simiao’s actions rules out any immaturity, as he was 24 years old at the time the crimes were committed,” Karam stated.

Simiao had pleaded for leniency, expressing regret and apologising during his plea, with Karam finding no evidence of genuine remorse, highlighting that Simiao did not testify in court.

“His failure to testify leaves many questions, like how long the minor was kept hostage before he raped her, how long after the rape did he murder her, and how long did the rape endure?” added Karam.

Over the past 10 months since the rape and murder incident, GBV organisations and community members have been following the matter with keen interest, with some residents picketing outside the court.

Gender-based violence activist, Gina Mthina, also welcomed the judgment, saying that as members of the community, they feel vindicated by the sentence.

“We welcome and appreciate the sentence that was given by the judge today. Our prayers have been answered, and we hope others will be deterred by this sentence,” she said.

Speaking on behalf of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane welcomed the sentence, saying: ” We are happy with the sentence as the NPA, and we continue with our resilience in the fight against violent crimes, especially those against vulnerable groups.”

siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za

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