'Tricks in the book': Elie Challita reacts as Amber-Lee Hughes prepares to testify

The father of slain four-year-old Nada Jane Challita says he has no interest in hearing what his child’s murderer has to say in court on Tuesday.

Self-confessed child killer Amber-Lee Hughes, who is expected to take the stand in the Johannesburg High Court, was found guilty of the rape and murder of her former partner’s child.

Nada Jane Challita was raped and drowned in a bathtub filled with cold water in an East Rand apartment on 23 January 2023.

The incident occurred after Hughes and the child’s father had an altercation, during which Hughes sent a text message stating that she would “burn Elie Challita’s heart the way he had done hers”.

ALSO READ: Convicted child killer Hughes to take the stand Tuesday for sentencing proceedings

Social worker Johanna Wolmarans, who conducted an assessment on Hughes, noted that she has a severely limited ability to manage intense emotions.

It has now been three years since Hughes was arrested for the child’s rape and murder.

The case has faced multiple delays, from Hughes claiming she was not mentally fit to stand trial to dismissing her previous legal team and later making shocking submissions in which she confessed to the murder.

Elie Challita said after court proceedings on Monday that he would not be surprised if sentencing takes more than a year to conclude.

“I think I told you before, I said if there’s any trick in the book, you’re going to see literally every single trick in the book. And that’s it. I wasn’t lying to you. But there’s a deadline for all this. That’s the only positive thing; there’s a deadline for all this. We are making progress slowly but surely, but it’s happening.”

He added: “It’s possible, because like I said, you must expect literally everything. So if there are more tricks in the book, expect to see them one after the other until the book runs out of tricks.”

TIMELINE: Key events in the Amber Lee Hughes case – From arrest to guilty verdict in murder of Nada-Jane

Hughes, who had previously pleaded not guilty to all charges, will now present evidence for the court’s consideration during sentencing.

In her brief appearance on Monday, her lawyer, Marius Bouwer, stated that Hughes would address the court regarding her mental wellbeing and her ability to be housed at the Johannesburg Correctional Centre.

“I need to request that the matter stand down until tomorrow, when we will start with the accused’s evidence. It is only the accused who will testify. Based on the report, what is proposed is correct.”

This position has previously been disputed by the child’s parents, who have accused Hughes of using her borderline personality disorder as an excuse for her actions.

“I prefer for this to take as long as it needs and finish properly, rather than be rushed and repeated three or four times. I don’t have the energy for that anymore. So that’s also part of why I sit and wait. We have to go through the process. We are going through the process.”