Eastern Cape woman convicted of murdering six‑year‑old found in river

A 23-year-old woman, Noluvuyo Sinyikatha, has been convicted of murdering six-year-old Likuwe Mpokopi after the child’s body was found in a river, a court heard in Mthatha. The Eastern Cape High Court handed down the verdict on Monday, 7 August 2026.

Discovery of the body and initial investigation

The child’s body was discovered floating in a river by women collecting firewood in the late afternoon of the day of the incident. Community members gathered at the scene and at the time did not know how the child had drowned in a shallow stream some distance from her home.

Evidence presented at trial

Two days after the discovery, a community member told police she had seen Sinyikatha walking with the deceased child towards the river shortly before midday on the day the body was found. During the trial the State led witnesses who said they saw the accused leaving the homestead with the child and another witness who observed a woman matching the accused’s description dragging a young girl towards the river.

The trial included a trial-within-a-trial to determine the admissibility of a confession by Sinyikatha. The court ruled the confession admissible.

Motive and court finding

National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Luxolo Tiyali said the conviction rested on compelling circumstantial evidence and on the confession, which Sinyikatha later sought to repudiate. According to the NPA, Sinyikatha confessed that she killed the child because she believed the child’s mother was responsible for the death of her own nine-month-old baby, who had died a few days earlier.

Tiyali said the deceased’s mother is the sister of Sinyikatha’s boyfriend and the father of Sinyikatha’s late child. The families had been living together at the Mpokopi homestead before the infant died following an illness.

Verdict, reactions and next steps

Although there were no eyewitnesses to the actual drowning, the court found that the State had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

“The Director of Public Prosecutions in the Eastern Cape, Advocate Samkelo Mtwana, commended both the prosecutor and the investigating officer for their dedication and professionalism in securing the conviction,”

State Advocate Siphokazi Maarman led the State’s evidence. Sentencing proceedings are scheduled for 18 September 2026, when the State will seek an appropriate sentence, the NPA said.

NPA statement on violence against children

The NPA said it remains steadfast in its commitment to combating violence against society’s most vulnerable members and ensuring that victims and their families receive justice through the criminal justice system.