The suspect befriended the baby’s mother, Bongiwe Sindani, at a local clinic on April 24, 2025. On May 4, she visited Bongiwe’s home in Nsimbini and fled with the baby and her cellphone when the mother stepped outside briefly.
RUSA launched an intense manhunt after the mother reported the abduction. Over 34 tip-offs were received, leading officers to Chesterville, where the suspect was found with the baby near Westville Pavilion Shopping Centre on May 5.
The woman confessed to kidnapping the baby after suffering a miscarriage, fearing her boyfriend would leave her. She posed the stolen baby as his child but had not provided proper care, feeding the infant only water.
The baby has been safely reunited with her mother, and the suspect is in police custody.
