Mother gets 4 life sentences for killing her 4 children with rat poison in South African

The south African woman was found guilty of murdering her four children in Klarinet in eMalahleni in Mpumalanga, has been sentenced to four life terms in prison by the Mpumalanga High Court.

Delivering the sentence in Middelburg on Friday, Judge Sheila Mphahlele said Zinhle Maditla had the intention to kill the children by poisoning them, adding that her behaviour showed at all times that she lacked remorse.

The children suffered the most gruesome acts at the hands of their mother, who was supposed to nurture and protect them, Mphahlele said.

The accused betrayed her own children. Having consumed the poison, the children did not die immediately… they died long painful deaths. What is mostly disturbing is that these acts took place at their own home. This place was supposed to be their own [haven] with their mother. As a result, I could not find exceptional reasons which justify a deviation from the prescribed minimum sentence.

Maditla, who appeared to be physically weak and walked with difficulty on Friday, sobbed and hugged her family members after she was sentenced.