Staff at a KwaZulu-Natal medical facility have been praised for their vigilance and quick-thinking after a woman allegedly kidnapped a newborn and tried to register the baby.
DURBAN – Staff at a KwaZulu-Natal medical facility have been praised for their vigilance and quick-thinking after a woman allegedly kidnapped a baby and tried to register the infant.
It is alleged that the four-day-old infant had been snatched from his mother in Mtubatuba earlier in the week.
On Tuesday, the mother was approached by a woman, asking if she could make a phone call from her phone. The mother responded that she did not have airtime and the woman gave her money and coerced her into buying airtime at a local shop while she (the suspect) held the infant.
The mother agreed and went to purchase airtime. When she returned the woman and newborn were nowhere to be seen.
The mother turned to social media to report the incident and informed local police.
Meanwhile, the alleged kidnapper had gone to the Hlabisa Hospital to have a hospital card produced for the newborn, claiming that she was the infant’s mother.
According to the Department of Health, the alleged kidnapper’s story about the baby’s birth did not add up and quick-thinking nurses alerted the police.
The department said she was asked to return to the facility “where she had had the baby delivered”.
“Hospital management subsequently checked with the SAPS and were able to ascertain that a case of a stolen baby had been registered,” the department said.
The next day the alleged baby thief re-emerged at Hlabisa Hospital once again. As staff pretended to assist her, while deliberately delaying the ‘administrative process’, they called the police, who arrived shortly thereafter, along with the baby’s real mother.
According to the hospital report, there was not a single sign that the woman had recently been pregnant or had given birth,” the department said.
When police arrived, the woman was arrested. She was also allegedly found with the mother’s cellphone.
The department said the baby was taken to hospital and treated for a minor ailment.
KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane thanked the staff for their vigilance.
“I’d also like to particularly urge all mothers to look after their children. You can’t just give your baby to a stranger in town, and say, ‘Please hold my baby, I’m going into the store.’ A baby isn’t like a bag or object, and must be with you at all times as the mother. Whether you’re going into the store or to the loo, take your baby with you.
“Do not trust anyone, because there are many people out there who are looking for children. Some steal babies because they don’t have them; others sell them; while others murder them and sell their body parts. So, we are really pleading with mothers to look after their children, so that we can get rid of this scourge,” the MEC said.
