A 44-year-old woman appeared in the Thohoyandou Magistrate's Court on Monday, 18 September, on charges of perjury and stealing her 20-day-old grandchild. The incident took place at a small village called Tshidaulu, in Mbilwi, Sibasa.
According to the police spokesperson in Limpopo, Col Malesela Ledwaba, the incident occurred on Tuesday, 12 September. The suspect went to sleep with her 16-year-old daughter and other children, who all shared the same room. The teenage mother was asleep with her baby on one bed, while the suspect slept on a separate bed. The next morning, at about 05:00, when the teenager woke up to prepare to go to school, she discovered that her baby daughter was missing. They searched for the baby, but the child could not be found. A missing-person case was immediately reported by the suspect, on behalf of her minor daughter, at the Thohoyandou Police Station.
"The police started investigating the matter, and the grandmother of the child was contacted on her cellphone. She misled the police by implying that she was at her workplace in Levubu. Police investigations continued until it was discovered that the grandmother was not at her workplace but was seen walking with a paper bag, which she concealed at an unknown house in Tshidaulu village. Another search was conducted in the area with the assistance of the Makhado K9 Dog Unit. The baby was later found abandoned in the house without any injuries and taken to a trauma centre for safekeeping," said Ledwaba.
The 44-year-old suspect was interviewed on Thursday, 14 September, and allegedly admitted to stealing the baby and falsely reporting a missing-person case. She was immediately placed under arrest for perjury and stealing her daughter's child. The motive is still unknown, but police investigations continue. On Monday, the case was postponed to 31 October for further police investigations and for the suspect to find legal representation.
In the meantime, the baby was reunited with her mother.
A close friend of the family, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said many theories existed regarding the motive behind the stolen baby. "Some say she stole the baby to take it to her boyfriend, whom she apparently told she was pregnant. Then there are those who say she didn't want her child to have a child while she was still in school because it would disturb her. Others suspect she wanted the baby for voodoo practices. We are also not sure what she wanted to do with the baby," said the source.
A cousin of the teenage mother said the family was still in shock about the incident, but they were glad the young mother was recovering well after she had nearly suffered a breakdown because of the trauma. "We are relieved that the baby was found safe and taken to the hospital, and that both mother and child are recovering," he said.
Mr Mpandeli Tshivhonammbi, vice-secretary of the Mbilwi SANCO, said the incident had raised a lot of questions in the community. "We have heard many theories about this incident. We were also told that the grandmother's actions might have been triggered by her dissatisfaction with her child's early pregnancy. We advise our residents to seek advice from social workers or other organisations that deal with such situations to ensure the well-being of the baby, who may be better cared for by foster parents," he said.