In a Durban High Court hearing, Sibongile Happiness Ngwadla, 40, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, July 28, 2025, to charges of murder, kidnapping, and attempted extortion. She admitted to targeting five-year-old Simphiwe Ntoneko Xaba because she held a grudge against his mother, whom she blamed for introducing her to online gambling—a habit that left her drowning in debt.
Kidnapping and Extortion Plot
According to her plea statement read by Legal Aid attorney Zeera Fareed, Ngwadla kidnapped Ntobeko on August 22, 2025, taking him to Ezimeleni informal settlement, where her relative Sinenhlanhla Mbotho lived. Using a burner phone, she sent text messages to the child's mother, Ntombifikile Xaba, demanding a R60,000 eWallet payment in exchange for the boy's safe return. Ngwadla stated she needed the money to settle debts accumulated through online gambling.
Motivation and Resentment
“I resented the deceased’s mother, who introduced me to gambling, for failing to assist me when I fell on hard times, and I sought to make her pay for it,” Ngwadla told the court. The defendant admitted that when her extortion plan began to unravel due to an intensive search by police and community members—and the boy’s picture being circulated on social media—she decided to kill him to avoid detection and arrest.
Murder and Attempt to Conceal
On August 23, 2025, Ngwadla took Ntobeko from Mbotho's home to a secluded area in Isipingo. She first attempted to strangle the child but stopped because “he cried so much.” She then transported the boy to the Q Section of Umlazi, where she threw him into a river to ensure he drowned. “I admit that I planned and executed the killing of the child to conceal the kidnapping and extortion, and therefore my actions were premeditated,” Ngwadla said.
After the murder, she tried to divert suspicion by sending a WhatsApp message to Mbotho, claiming she had returned Ntobeko to his mother and later heard that Xaba herself had thrown the child into the river. The deception failed, and Ngwadla was arrested on August 27.
Courtroom Remorse and Apology
During the reading of her plea statement, Ngwadla became emotional and cried. Upon conviction, she elected to testify in mitigation of sentence. “I apologise to the family that I have caused harm to. I am remorseful,” she said, adding that she hoped the sentence would show the victim's family her genuine regret. She also expressed a wish to apologise to her five children. Before arrest, she had been self-employed as a hairdresser in Broad Street, Durban.
Victim's Mother Rejects Gambling Claims
Outside court, Ntombifikile Xaba rejected Ngwadla’s assertion that she introduced her to gambling. Xaba explained that they lived close to each other in Umlazi and that Ngwadla often borrowed her cellphone to gamble online, which is how they became acquainted. By the time of the kidnapping, Xaba said, they had not spoken for a long time after Ngwadla broke her kettle and failed to replace it.
Lasting Trauma on the Family
In a victim impact statement, Xaba described the enduring trauma from her son's murder. “I trust no one. I have become overprotective of my two boys. I no longer allow them to leave my sight. I don’t allow them to go out and play with other children because I fear they will not return,” she said. The matter was postponed to Thursday for sentencing proceedings.
