A 43-year-old Zimbabwean woman, Lister Nkomo, has been found guilty in the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court for the murder of her two young children, following an incident at Empire Park in Parktown nearly three years ago.The children, a two-year-old girl and a seven-month-old boy, died on 3 June 2023 after ingesting poison administered by their mother.

Evidence presented during the trial revealed that Nkomo had called her sister earlier that day, expressing her intention to end her own life along with the children.The sister alerted the children’s father, who rushed to the park and found both children unresponsive.Emergency medical services declared them dead at the scene.Nkomo herself was found unconscious and was hospitalised after ingesting poison.Following recovery, she was placed under police guard and suicide watch before her formal arrest.Forensic examinations confirmed that the deaths were due to poisoning.

The State argued that the evidence clearly indicated Nkomo’s responsibility, a stance supported by a forensic analyst confirming the lethality of the substance used.Nkomo did not testify in her defence.The case has been adjourned to May 2026 to allow for the preparation of a pre-sentence report prior to sentencing proceedings.