Johannesburg, South Africa – After more than two years, a harrowing truth emerged in the Johannesburg High Court today as Amber Lee Hughes, 26, confessed to drowning four-year-old Nada-Jane Therese Challita on January 23, 2023. Hughes admitted she sat on the child, submerging her in water, a revelation that brought a measure of relief to the toddler’s father, Elie Challita.
The dramatic testimony unfolded as Hughes’s defence team, led by Marius Bouwer, presented her admissions under Section 220 of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977.
(WARNING: The following details may be disturbing to sensitive readers)
Hughes told the court she was aware of her actions that day, despite suffering from borderline personality disorder. She claimed the incident was triggered by an argument with Nada-Jane’s father concerning his infidelity, escalating when he told her to “stop bombarding him.”
Hughes further confessed that after Nada-Jane became unresponsive, she left the child in the bathtub with the cold water still running. She then made several attempts to take her own life, first by cutting her wrist with a broken glass bottle, then by attempting to hang herself, and again by cutting her wrists with a knife, causing a deep laceration. Unable to find a suitable rope for another hanging attempt outside, she returned indoors, ran around “hysterically,” and sat in the lounge until Marwan Fallah entered the house. Fallah administered CPR, during which Nada-Jane expelled fluid. Hughes was later admitted to South Rand Hospital and diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, classified as “parasuicidal.”
Crucially, Hughes maintained her innocence regarding the rape charges, denying she inserted any object into Nada-Jane’s anus or vagina, or that she sexually assaulted the child at any time.
Father’s relief
Elie Challita, Nada-Jane’s father, expressed a sense of relief following Hughes’s admission. He stated that if Hughes had been truthful earlier, the case could have concluded long ago. “I feel better because some of the truth is starting to come out. I’m a bit relieved, as I’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time,” Challita said, adding, “It didn’t come as a big shock, because everyone knows, and it’s very clear.”
He reflected on Hughes’s nearly three-year denial of guilt: “The first thing I said when I came out of the court was that we could have started here from the first session, and this could have been over a long time ago. But some people don’t want to believe what they’ve done and don’t want to take responsibility. Sooner or later, it catches up with them.”
Challita now awaits further clarity on the extent of his daughter’s suffering. “Now I know, legally, she killed my child. I’m now waiting to find out how long she tortured her before she killed her,” he said.
Plea for justice system reform
Howard Duncan Clyde, Hughes’s father, also spoke outside the court, lamenting the delays in the justice system. He believes the case could have been resolved much sooner had the system been more efficient. “This could have been sorted out a long time ago if things had been handled properly,” Clyde said.
He voiced concern for others caught in similar protracted legal battles, attributing the delays to an overburdened public defender system. “I feel sorry for the other girls who still have to go through what my daughter is going through, because the state doesn’t have enough attorneys to handle the workload,” he said. “Each attorney ends up dealing with over 300 cases, and this delays the process for at least three to four years. If Legal Aid had enough attorneys to consult with inmates, this would have been resolved already.”
Judge Richard Mkhabela postponed the case to August 7 for closing arguments.
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