The Star E-dition

Baby Jordan’s killers freed years ago

GENEVIEVE SERRA genevieve.serra@inl.co.za ZANETHEMBA GWADA

ZANETHEMBA Gwada and Bonginkosi Sigenu, the two men convicted and sentenced for their role in the murder of six-month-old baby Jordan-leigh Norton have been granted parole and have been free for years.

Saturday Star can reveal Gwada was released on parole on January 27, 2017, while Sigenu was set free on February 15, 2018, having served just between 13 and 14 years behind bars for the murder.

Candice van Reenen, regional coordinator: communication, Regional Office Western Cape of the Department of Correctional Services, confirmed the men were granted parole but added that they had undergone a strict programme to be ready for social reintegration. “The process of parole consideration is initiated by the Case Management Committee when an inmate has served the minimum required time.

“A decision is then taken by the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board. It is important to note that an inmate must satisfy all the requirements for parole placement and be ready for social reintegration.

“This draws largely from the correctional sentence plan compliance and reports from specialists, such as criminologists, social workers and psychologists.

“Bonginkosi Sigenu was released on parole on 15 February, 2018, and Zanethemba Gwada was released on parole on 27 January, 2017.”

When Saturday Star contacted Vernon Norton, baby Jordan-leigh’s grandfather, he said the family had made a joint decision not to comment.

Natasha Norton, the baby’s mother, did not respond to requests for comment.

In 2016, when the duo made their bid for parole, which had been denied, Natasha commended the parole board for making the decision and did not attend proceedings at the time.

Gwada and Sigenu and their co-accused, Dina Rodrigues, who was the mastermind, Sipho Mfazwe and Mongezi Bobotyane were all convicted of the murder of baby Jordan-leigh.

The case sparked outrage and made international news.

Jordan-leigh had been killed inside her home in Lansdowne on June 15, 2005. She was six months.

The State proved that Rodrigues had hired the men, who pretended to be from a courier company, in order to gain access to the house and were delivering a parcel.

Rodrigues had offered the men R10 000 for the murder. The infant was stabbed in the neck.

Rodrigues had been dating Neil Wilson, Jordan-leigh’s father.

In a previous Weekend Argus article, Rodrigues said that by June 2005 she had fallen deeply in love with Wilson and was happy until she heard about his illegitimate child.

She explained that she could not accept the fact of the child’s existence and had imagined the infant’s demise.

She had confessed in an affidavit to hiring someone to kill the baby.

She added she had told Wilson she had paid R10 000 to make the problem go away and that he was deeply shocked and that she later realised the evil she had done.

The trial carried on for 15 months and Rodrigues, Mfazwe and Bobotyane were sentenced to life imprisonment, while Gwada and Sigenu received 15 years each for the murder and robbery.

The Department of Correctional Services confirmed Rodrigues, who is imprisoned at Breede Valley Correctional Facility, now has a degree in Education after becoming a teacher at Worcester Female Prison and would only be considered for parole once she completed her minimum time behind bars.

They did not specify when this would be and did not comment on enquiries about her academic history and profile.

Carla Lange of the Department of Correctional Services said: “The inmate (Rodrigues) will be considered for parole placement after serving the minimum required time, as per the Correctional Services Act.

“We do not attach nor confirm dates to third parties prior to the commencement of the parole consideration process.”

Sigenu, who was 16 at the time of the murder, later at age 18, pleaded guilty following the pleas of his mother who encouraged him to tell the truth.

Sigenu told of how he had been asked to take away the baby from her nanny and to strangle the child in a room. He said Jordan-leigh had begun to cry and that it had reminded him of his brother who was also little.

He detailed how Bobotyane had put his finger in the baby’s mouth and cut her throat.

He said he could not do it and that later Bobotyane had shown them the knife which he had used to kill the infant.

Metro

en-za

2021-06-12T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-06-12T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thestar.pressreader.com/article/281608128376951

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