The Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court has denied bail to a 32-year-old woman accused of selling her two-year-old son.
The suspect was arrested in November 2024 on allegations that she had sold her child to unidentified individuals.
According to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, she allegedly reported a false case of kidnapping to the police on 13 November.
“During the police investigation, it was uncovered that the kidnapping claim was false. The woman later confessed to fabricating the story. She was subsequently arrested on 19 November 2024 and has been in custody since her arrest,” Mahanjana said.
The whereabouts of the child is unknown and police efforts to locate him are ongoing.
She was charged with human trafficking, conspiracy to commit robbery and making a false statement to the police.
Woman claims first-time offence
During the bail application, the accused told the court she was a first-time offender. She further claimed that while in custody, she did not receive proper medical treatment for her pregnancy.
She argued that being kept in custody obstructed her from maintaining her children. Furthermore, she said she would not evade trial as she wanted to find her missing child.
State prosecutor Cornelle Grobler opposed the bail application and said the accused might interfere with investigations. She had allegedly already contacted one of the state witnesses.
Grobler told the court the accused was a danger to her children as they might suffer the same fate as the missing child.
Moreover, she said that the accused was in a maternity ward where she received the necessary medical attention.
The woman gave birth on Wednesday night.
When handing down judgment, Magistrate Michael Tlale agreed with the state.
The magistrate noted that the woman did not dispute that the kidnapping was staged and that she informed one of the witnesses to tell the father of the child that the child was with them so he could pay a ransom of R75 000.
The woman failed to convince the court why she should be released on bail. The matter was postponed to 7 April for further investigation.
Source: Citizen
