15 EXTENUATION The accused was 16 years of age at the time she committed this crime. Her youthfulness is an extenuating factor . S v SIGWAHLA 1967 (4) SA 566. The extenuating circumstances may be found anywhere in the body of the record. R v MALOPI 1954 (1) SA 390. There may have been some not so open conflict between the accused and the deceased as a result of sharing this boyfriend called MOFANA MAPHATHE. There is an indication of fear to lose the said boy friend by the accused. What she seemed to have been eager to protect was her interest in the love affair with MOFANA MAPHATHE. The feeling that the deceased and her friend P.W.1 may have been desirous of the accused's break-up with that boyfriend, seems to have been reciprocal between those two girl friends of MOFANA MAPHATHE. The act of arming herself with such a dangerous weapon clearly indicates the accused's intent to stand her ground and stay in the relationship which she felt was being removed away from her grip. Her fear to lose a boyfriend they shared with the deceased, is also an extenuating factor. They may have been some touting although nobody witnessed it. The fact that the deceased paid the accused a visit on 10th October 1994, to enquire about her intended departure time from the school on that day, shows that they may have been some sort of conflict between those two girls. On their way home on that same day, they were heard shouting abuse and threats to fight to each other. This