Johannesburg – A 25-year-old Mozambican national, Pethe Sara Simiao, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of six-year-old Amantle Samane in October 2024.
He pleaded guilty to kidnapping, rape, murder, and contravening the Immigration Act during his court appearance at the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.
[BREAKING NEWS]
Johannesburg High Court has sentenced Mozambican national Phethe Simiao to life imprisonment. The 25-year-old admitted to kidnapping, raping and killing six-year-old Amantle Samane in October 2024. pic.twitter.com/wtX9Dzmrjk— SABC News (@SABCNews) September 1, 2025
Simiao admitted to strangling the child after raping her, allegedly while under the influence of alcohol, to conceal his crime.
The court on Monday sentenced him to life imprisonment for both the murder and rape charges, with additional concurrent sentences for kidnapping and immigration violations.
[WATCH] The judge says Mozambican national Pethe Simiao’s failure to testify in court leaves many questions answered. “How long after the rape did he murder her? How did he keep the victim hostage when he went to purchase a beer?” pic.twitter.com/8gmfinQedE
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) September 1, 2025
Amantle’s mother appealed for a harsh sentence, requesting three life sentences, but the judge emphasised that the crime does not reflect on foreigners in general.
Simiao was arrested two days after Amantle’s body was found in a shack in Orlando East, Soweto, and it was revealed that he had been in South Africa illegally since 2022 using a Mozambican passport valid until 2027.
[WATCH] The mother of 6-year-old Amantle Samane says the life sentences handed down to her rapist and murderer, Pethe Simiao, will serve as an example to other men who commit similar crimes against children. pic.twitter.com/MfvCXQ8xhU
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) September 1, 2025
