Johannesburg – The Pretoria High Court has sentenced a De Deur man to two life terms and 10 years direct imprisonment for the kidnapping, rape and premeditated murder of a 6-year-old girl, as well as obstruction of justice.
Moses Makoso’s name has also been added to the National Register of Sexual Offenders and he has also been declared unfit to possess a firearm.
According to Gauteng National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, on April 29, 2021, the girl, her brother, and a friend had gone to look for traditional cucumber in bush near Makoso’s house in Maboloka.
Makoso called the three children to his house. He then instructed the brother and the friend to go home to put on shoes. He promised to give them fish on their return.
The two boys left, and he then led the little girl back to the bushes where he raped and strangled her to death and set her body alight.
When the two boys returned to Makoso’s house, there was no one there. The boys told the aunt of the young girl what had happened. Later that day, the aunt reported the child missing to the police.
The community and the family began searching for the missing child and only went to Makoso’s house on the following day, when they found the suspect and handed him over to the police.
“On May 1, 2021, after his arrest, Makoso confessed to killing and burning the child’s body. He then pointed out to the police where the incident occurred,” said Mahanjana.
Makoso had first denied raping the child – this was stated in the pre-sentence report read by the probation officer in court.
Makoso also said that when he committed the other offences he was under the influence of drugs and that evil spirits had told him to kill the girl.
State advocate Thembile Nyakama told the court that “Makoso showed no remorse as he continued to deceive the court about what transpired that day”.
“Until now it is unknown how long Makoso kept the child captured, but it is safe to say the child spent her last moments alive in intense fear before her horrific death. The kidnapping was for his sexual gratification.”
The judge agreed with the State that Makoso was not remorseful and only wanted to be sentenced because he said he was not getting enough food at the awaiting trial cells.
Furthermore, the reason he killed the child was because she wanted to go home and not because of evil spirits.
“The NPA welcomes the sentence as fitting in this gruesome case involving a child, especially at this period of the 16 Days of Activism against violence on women and children,” said Mahanjana.
“We commend the police investigating officer, Sergeant Julius Nkgoeng of Litlabile SAPS, for putting together valuable evidence to help the prosecutor secure the conviction and this sentence.”
IOL