The baby who was snatched in Samora Machel has returned home safely.
In an unexpected twist, the mom of one-month-old Kulungile Matu admitted that she had lent her son to her niece, Nonela Matu, 35, for the day so she could take him to her other berk in Strand and pretend it was their child.
But the suspect ended up keeping the baby longer than the agreement and the mother freaked out and went to the police. The niece has since been arrested on a charge of manstealing.
Asked why she lied about her baby being stolen, Nolusindiso tells the Daily Voice: “We spoke about her lie to the Congolese boyfriend in Strand, and I told her to take my child and pretend it was hers.
“The problem was when she didn’t bring my son back because the agreement was that she would come back.
“I got worried and went to the police and reported her. I gave her the baby because I felt sorry for her.”
The niece took the baby on Friday around 11am and according to Nolusindiso, the whole weekend she kept promising she was going to bring the baby back.
The little boy’s mom initially said cops refused to help her when she went to report the matter on Friday.
“The police finally came to us on Tuesday night and we drove around to the places where we thought she could be.
“Her friends told me that she changed my baby’s name to a foreign one – Ejika – and she was taking my baby to another boyfriend, a foreigner, who lives in Strand.
“We managed to get the address of where she was.
“She left her boyfriend whom she lives with and went to another man and claimed that it was their baby. I know that she was never pregnant.”
The mom says she asked her niece why she failed to bring her baby back.
“She told me that she was not stealing the baby, she was going to bring him back but didn’t indicate when she planned to do that,” Nolusindiso says.
“The baby was taken to the clinic for a check-up, he is back home with us.”
Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg says: “The child has been reunited with the mother.
“An adult female was arrested and will appear in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court once she has been charged.
“Nyanga FCS are investigating a case of manstealing after a child was taken by a family member and did not return the child to the mother.”
mandilkhe.tshwete@inl.co.za