Odwa Jack and girlfriend Nokuthula Matyeseni will go on trial at the Western Cape High Court next month.
Image: Mandilakhe Tshwete
The couple accused of the rape and murder of seven-year-old Lolitha Kowa will go on trial at the Western Cape High Court next month after the matter was transferred this week.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila confirmed Nokuthula Matyeseni and Odwa Jack will make their first high court appearance on April 24.
Lolitha Kowa's accused rapists and murderers will go on trial at the Western Cape High Court after the matter was transferred this week.
Image: Supplied
Matyeseni and Jack face four criminal charges, including the kidnapping of a minor, rape (contravention of Section 3 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act), murder, and defeating and/or obstructing the administration of justice.
They were arrested on July 23, 2025, after Kuyasa residents discovered Lolitha’s body about 1.5 kilometres from her home.
An emotional Kowa family at the scene of their daughter’s murder. Lolitha’s mother, Funeka, is pictured with her hand covering her face.
Image: File
The young girl had gone missing the previous afternoon after she went to play with Matyeseni’s daughter.
According to the indictment, the pair allegedly kidnapped Lolitha, raped her, and committed the act of murder by stabbing her with a screwdriver.
They are accused of having then, in an attempt to conceal the heinous deed, dumped her body at a dumping site and covered her body with rubbish and clothing, and in so doing had tampered with a crime scene and supplied false information to Lolitha’s family to mislead them and the police.
They were linked to the crime by forensic evidence, and Matyeseni's clothing was found at the scene where Lolitha’s body was dumped.
According to the indictment, Jack made a statement to a private person about the incident.
According to a summary of the facts, on July 22, 2025, Lolitha left her home at about 2pm.
“She informed her mother that she was going to play at the home of Matyeseni and Jack with her friend. (Lolitha) was seen in the company of Matyeseni and her children. Later that evening, the mother of Lolitha requested her son to go to the home of Matyeseni to look for Lolitha.
“He did not find her at the home of Matyeseni. (Lolitha’s mother), together with members of the community, searched the area for Lolita but could not find her. A missing person’s report was filed with police that evening,” the indictment read.
Lolitha's blood was found on the inside and outside of the home of the couple, according to the State.
A post-mortem concluded that the cause of death was a penetrating head injury, with aspiration as a contributory cause.
Cape Times