A 43-year-old Zimbabwean national has been convicted in the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court for the murder of her two young children after poisoning them at a public park in Parktown nearly three years ago.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed that Lister Nkomo was found guilty on two counts of murder for the deaths of her two-year-old daughter and seven-month-old son.
The children died on 3 June 2023 at Empire Park in Johannesburg after ingesting poison administered by their mother.
According to evidence presented during the trial, the NPA said Nkomo contacted her sister on the day of the incident and told her that she was in trouble and intended to kill herself together with the children.
Alarmed by the call, the sister informed their father, who immediately rushed to the park.
When he arrived, he discovered both children lying motionless. Emergency medical personnel later declared them dead at the scene. Nkomo was also found unconscious after allegedly consuming poison herself.
She was transported to hospital, where she received medical treatment and survived.
After recovering, she was placed under police guard and suicide watch before being formally arrested.
Post-mortem examinations later confirmed that both children had died from poisoning. During the proceedings, a State forensic analyst testified that the substance involved was capable of causing death in humans.
Nkomo chose not to testify during the trial. Acting Regional Court Prosecutor Terry Hlongwane led the State’s case, arguing that the evidence overwhelmingly pointed to the accused having administered the poison to the children.
The NPA said when delivering judgment, the Magistrate ruled that, without any explanation from Nkomo, the only reasonable inference was that she had poisoned the children.
The matter has been postponed to May 2026 for the preparation and submission of a pre-sentence report before sentencing proceedings continue.
sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za
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