REVENGE MURDER ON THE RISE IN SA

More children killed by parent figures

- GENEVIEVE SERRA

ON THE 20th anniversary of the murder of 6-month old Jordan-Leigh Norton, who would have been a university student had her life not been cut short by revenge filicide, a crime expert said that the deliberate killing of children is becoming increasingly common in South Africa.

Dina Rodrigues was the mastermind behind the June 15, 2005, murder of her then-boyfriend Neil Wilson's daughter, Jordan-Leigh, and it was one of the first documented contract killings of an infant in South Africa.

Rodrigues is set for her parole hearing in just six years.

The case chillingly has similarities to that of former preschool teacher, Amber Lee Hughes, who last week admitted to killing her lover's 4-year-old daughter, Nada-Jane Challita.

Hughes started making headlines in January 2023, following her arrest for the murder of Nada-Jane, whose body was found floating in a tub of water in her Glenvista home in Johannesburg.

Hughes began her relationship with Nada-Jane's father in 2021 and moved into his home, with the couple allegedly often having arguments.

The National Prosecuting Authority said during one incident, Hughes allegedly raped the child by inserting a sharp object into her private parts while she was in her care.

Hughes has denied raping the child.