24-06-2025
Woman arrested in connection with kidnapping of newborn at Joburg clinic
A 21-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with the kidnapping of a three-day-old child from a health clinic in the eastern part of Johannesburg.
Police spokesperson Sgt Patricia Mgijima said the 31-year-old mother had taken her infant for a check-up at Margaret Zuma Clinic in the Winnie Mandela section of Tembisa on Monday afternoon.
'The mother wanted to use the toilet. She found the suspect and other women in a queue. The suspect offered to hold her baby so the mother could relieve herself,' said Mgijima.
She said the mother came out of the toilet and discovered the suspect had disappeared with her child.
CCTV footage showed the woman, who was wearing a black tracksuit, walking out of the clinic with a baby swaddled in a blanket.
By mid-morning on Tuesday, police had traced and arrested her at the nearby Dali Mpofu informal settlement.
Mgijima said according to the suspect, she wanted to claim the child as her own after she miscarried in May.
'She told us she was scared to tell her family and her partner's family she miscarried.'
The baby appeared to be unhurt but is being medically assessed as a precaution.
The suspect is expected to appear before the Tembisa magistrate's court soon.
Last month, two baby abductions were reported to police.
In Durban, a two-week-old baby was found safe after allegedly being kidnapped by a 21-year-old woman who had suffered a miscarriage a few weeks before. Private security firm Rusa said she had allegedly hatched the plan 'so her boyfriend would not dump her' after meeting the newborn's mother at a clinic.
In Gqeberha, Sinovuyo Rabula, 22, who had falsely told her boyfriend she was going to have twins, is on trial after two infants were allegedly snatched from the neonatal ICU ward at the Dora Nginza hospital.
Police found she had allegedly visited the hospital three times in May, claiming she was pregnant. Doctors did a pregnancy test on Rabula, which came back negative, and referred her to a psychologist on her last visit on May 19, the Herald reported.
TimesLIVE
