South African Woman Pleads Guilty to Kidnapping, Murder of 5-Year-Old Boy
A 40-year-old South African woman has pleaded guilty to kidnapping, murdering and attempting to extort money over the death of a five-year-old boy, telling a Durban court that she targeted the child to punish his mother, whom she blamed for introducing her to gambling.
Sibongile Happiness Ngwadla entered the guilty plea before the Durban High Court on Tuesday, admitting to the kidnapping and murder of Simphiwe Ntobeko Xaba, as well as attempted extortion.
In her plea statement, Ngwadla confessed that she abducted the boy on August 22, 2025, and took him to the Ezimeleni informal settlement, where a relative, Sinenhlanhla Mbotho, lived.
She admitted using a burner phone to send text messages to the child’s mother, Ntombifikile Xaba, demanding a R60,000 eWallet payment in exchange for the boy’s release.
According to Ngwadla, the money was intended to offset debts she had accumulated through online gambling.
She told the court that she harboured resentment towards the child’s mother, claiming she had introduced her to gambling but failed to help when she encountered financial difficulties.
“I wanted to make her pay for it,” Ngwadla said in her statement.
She further admitted that after police and community members intensified the search for the missing child and his photograph circulated widely on social media, she decided to kill him to avoid being identified and arrested.
The court heard that on August 23, Ngwadla first attempted to strangle the boy in a secluded area in Isipingo but stopped when he cried.
She later took him to the Q Section of Umlazi, where she threw him into a river, leading to his death.
Ngwadla acknowledged that the killing was premeditated and carried out to conceal the kidnapping and extortion attempt.
She also admitted attempting to mislead investigators by sending a WhatsApp message to her relative, falsely claiming she had returned the child to his mother and alleging that the mother was responsible for his death.
The deception failed, and Ngwadla was arrested on August 27, 2025.
After the court convicted her on her guilty plea, Ngwadla apologised to the victim’s family and expressed remorse for her actions.
“I apologise to the family that I have caused harm to. I am remorseful,” she told the court, adding that she hoped her sentence would demonstrate the sincerity of her regret.
She also expressed a desire to apologise to her five children, noting that she had worked as a self-employed hairdresser in Durban before her arrest.
However, the victim’s mother rejected Ngwadla’s claim that she introduced her to gambling.
Speaking outside the court, Xaba said Ngwadla had only used her mobile phone to access online gambling platforms and that the two had not been on speaking terms before the incident following a disagreement over a damaged kettle.
In a victim impact statement, Xaba described the emotional toll of losing her son, saying she no longer trusted anyone and had become overly protective of her two surviving children.
The case was adjourned until Thursday for sentencing proceedings.
