Amantle Samane’s killer says he was drunk when he attacked her

Mozambican national, Phethe Simiao, has admitted to being intoxicated when he raped and killed 6-year-old, Amantle Samane.

Simiao appeared in the Johannesburg High Court today, where he pleaded guilty to charges of kidnapping, murder, and contravening the Immigration Act.

In his plea, the 25-year-old detailed how he carried out his violent attack on the six-year-old, revealing that he strangled the Amantle to conceal the crime.

During proceedings, Amantle’s mother was brought to tears as Simiao’s lawyer, Advocate Ndivhuwo Masindi, recounted the events of the day.

A witness who saw the child with Simiao — someone he knew was not a relative — raised the alarm when she went missing. The child’s half-naked body was later discovered in a shack where Simiao had been staying.

The six-year-old disappeared from her Orlando West home just days before her preschool graduation.

Simiao, who initially tried to evade the authorities, was later arrested by police in Zola, Soweto.

Amantle’s family spokesperson, Brenda Mjiyako, described it as difficult to hear Simiao describe the attack in detail.

Simiao will be sentenced next Tuesday.