The case against Amber Lee Hughes, who confessed to killing her ex-boyfriend’s four-year-old daughter Nada-Jane Challita, has been postponed to February 16, 2026, as the defence requested more time to re-examine the evidence.

Hughes was convicted of premeditated murder and rape in August after confessing to killing the little girl by drowning her in a bathtub in 2023.

She pleaded not guilty to the rape charge.

Nada-Jane’s parents had amicably agreed to co-parenting their daughter while the mother was receiving medical help for her mental condition.

They say they were robbed of the opportunity to raise their daughter.

The mother says she is struggling to come to terms with her daughter’s passing, especially on her birthday.

Nada-Jane’s mother Amy Johnston says, “Nada had a mother that really tried to her best to get better mentally to look after her and having made that sacrifice of leaving her in order to get better, thinking that you are going to come back and raise your child to the best of your ability only for her to be taken away because of selfish reasons is absolutely heart-breaking and I will never forgive.”

The High Court in Johannesburg also heard how Hughes developed borderline personality disorder due to her growing up in a toxic home environment.

The Social worker who assessed Hughes says her borderline personality disorder impacts her ability to control her emotions.

Social worker Johanna Wolmarans says, “She cannot deal with frustration and anger as she does not have the skills to direct her anger towards the cause of the anger. This was anger built up the whole day. She walked past and saw the little one in the bath and only then she acted impulsively, got up and put her head under the water and sat on her, which then the court found her to be guilty of premeditated murder.”

The child’s father Elie Challita says that a few days before the tragic incident, he started noticing how the accused started becoming jealous of his relationship with her daughter.

He says, “I made a decision during that time and on the day of the incident, I phoned Amy and told her I can never carry on with Amber. However, I cannot promise you that we are going to get back together, but I want you to come back and look after your child.”

The accused will remain in custody until February next year.