Two of the men charged with the murder of Transvaal Judge President Bernard Ngoepe’s granddaughter pleaded guilty in the Vereeniging Circuit Court on Tuesday.
South African Broadcasting Corporation radio news reported that they admitted guilt to five counts, including murder, armed robbery and rape.
Four-year-old Makgabo Matlala, the daughter of Springs magistrate Stephen Matlala, was killed in March this year at her Lenasia South home in Johannesburg during a robbery.
A 57-year-old domestic worker at the Matlala’s house was allegedly raped during the incident.
Johannes Siphiwe Molefe, Joseph Lucky Ndlovu and Steve Tsietsi Mhlanga were later arrested at Wheeler’s Farm, near Finetown, Ennerdale, on the Vaal Rand.
Detectives found two cellular phones, which had been stolen from the Matlala’s home, in their possession.
Makgabo’s body was found under her parent’s bed a day after she was reportedly kidnapped during the robbery, sparking an outcry over the police investigation.
The little girl’s half-naked body was found by forensic and crime scene management police who were collecting evidence in the house. — Sapa