"That a man who stays here can rape the child‚ kill the child in the bedroom … and break every bone to make the child fit in a plastic bag … it shows something has gone wrong‚" said Zuma.

Saunders was a tenant in her home at the time‚ and was friends with Courtney’s father‚ Aaron Fourie. The little girl was in the care of her six-year-old brother.

According to Saunders‚ Courtney irritated him by waking him up because she wanted to watch television in his room. He said he decided to poison the child to spite her mother‚ Juanita Pieters‚ because there was bad blood between them.

"Irritated for having been woken a second time‚ and compounded by ill feeling between myself and her mother‚ I decided to give her ant poison‚" said Saunders.

He said he had bought the poison‚ which was in powder form‚ months earlier to repel ants in his room. He mixed the poison with water.

Courtney’s body was found nine days after her disappearance. Saunders took part in the search for her and led the community away from where she lay.

In her judgment‚ Mantame said Courtney died a painful death and that Saunders had ample opportunity to reconsider his deeds‚ but he did not. Saunders was nailed by the video footage which showed him dumping the body.