Amber-Lee Hughes cross-examined on birthday, blames previous counsel for prolonged trial

Amber-Lee Hughes takes the stand at the High Court in Johannesburg, on 18 February 2026, for sentencing after being found guilty of raping and killing four-year-old Nada-Jane Challita. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/ The Citizen Convicted child killer Amber-Lee Hughes returned to the Johannesburg High Court on Thursday for cross-examination by the state during sentencing proceedings for the 2023 rape and murder of four-year-old Nada-Jane Challita, on what happened to be her birthday. State advocate Rolene Barnard opened proceedings by wishing Hughes a happy birthday before asking whether she wished to amend anything from the previous day’s testimony.

The cross-examination turned to the early relationship between Hughes and Nada-Jane’s father, Elie Challita, focusing on the messages they exchanged in the early stages of their involvement. Hughes had initially reached out to offer Elie help with caring for his young daughter, and the two had later communicated through notes left in Nada-Jane’s school diary. Hughes told the court she had a clear motivation for inserting herself into the child’s life.

“I wanted to be a mother figure in Nada’s life,” she said, adding that the little girl appeared to need that presence. “It seemed like she needed that. She was still sucking her thumb, and she didn’t speak to other children at school, and she was behind a lot.” The state is expected to argue for a severe sentence, with Nada-Jane’s father set to testify later in proceedings. Addressing both the court and Nada-Jane’s family directly, Hughes expressed remorse and attributed the prolonged trial to poor advice from a previous legal representative.