Nada-Jane Challita's father wants ex-partner, Amber Lee Hughes, to come clean about his daughter's murder
She on Thursday admitted that she had drowned little Nada-Jane in a bathtub but she maintained that she did not rape the child.
Former preschool teacher, Amber Lee Hughes, made an appearance in the Johannesburg High Court on 24 July 2025 for the murder of 4-year-old Nada-Jane Chalita. Picture: Sphamandla Dlamini/EWN
JOHANNESBURG - The father of the murdered four-year-old Nada-Jane Challita said that he had no doubt his ex-partner, Amber Lee Hughes, would be found guilty on all the charges she faces.
Hughes, a former preschool teacher, faces charges of murder and rape.
She admitted on Thursday that she had drowned little Nada-Jane in a bathtub but she maintained that she did not rape the child.
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In shocking revelations, Hughes on Thursday admitted that she had initially planned to plead guilty for the murder of the child before deciding against it.
It follows the abrupt change of her legal team – it was later discovered that she needed new lawyers after her former team withdrew from the case.
Speaking to the media after Hughes' brief appearance, the victim’s father, Elie Challita, said that it was about time that she came clean.
"It was the first thing I said when I got out of the court. The very first sentence I said, we could have started here from the first session and this could have been over a long time ago. But you know, some people don't want to believe what they do and they don't want to take responsibility for what they've done. But then it's going to catch up with you sooner or later, as we saw today, you know."
The matter was postponed to 7 August.