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An emotional Mita Marobe cries as she appeals to the kidnappers to return her six-month-old son Kgosietsile unharmed. Photo: Sizwe Ndingane
“Don’t hurt my baby. Please don’t hurt my baby.” This was the emotional appeal by a Pretoria nurse to her infant child’s nanny, who allegedly kidnapped the six-month-old boy while his mother lay asleep next to his cot on Monday.
Standing outside her modest home, Mita Marobe, 33, fought back tears as she described waking up to find Kgosietsile, her only child, missing.
The kidnapping, thought to be over a wage dispute, is believed to have been carefully orchestrated with the nanny apparently spending weeks in planning.
The plan is believed to have had the 21-year-old Zimbabwean woman erasing photos and videos of herself with Kgosietsile from the family’s cellphones and a laptop computer; taking back copies of her asylum papers from the Marobe family on the pretence of having to update them; and destroying documents which could lead police to her whereabouts.
The woman, who had worked for the family since November, allegedly told Kgosietsile’s young niece on Sunday night that she was going to kidnap the boy – a threat police believe was aimed at getting the family to settle the wage dispute.
In the final part of the plan, the suspect is believed to have turned off Marobe’s cellphone alarm on Monday morning before locking her and other family members inside the house to ensure that they could not follow her.
Hours after the alleged kidnapping, the nanny – who allegedly also stole R5 000, Marobe’s cellphone and her bank cards – SMSed the distraught mother. She demanded R45 000 in cash, the PIN to her bank cards and ordered her not to involve the police if she wanted to see her son alive again.
Now, as the family appeals for the safe return of Kgosietsile his father has vowed to do everything in his power to find his son alive.
“I will not let her get away with this. In my country this does not happen. In my country no one would dare snatch a baby from his mother,” said Kgosietsile’s father, Jacob Gavua, a Ghanaian national.
Fighting back her emotions, Marobe, said she feared for her young son’s life.
“She took nothing for him. No food, no extra clothes, nothing except what he was wearing.
“She has money, but now she says she desperately needs the PIN for my bank cards so she could buy him food.
“She wants us to think she still has him to get us to give her more money, but I am petrified that she has already dumped him and left him for dead,” said Marobe.
Marobe, who teaches at the Pretoria Nursing College, said they were not rich.
“Look where we live. We don’t have lots of furniture or fancy cars. I am a nurse and my husband is a hairstylist. We don’t have this money. If I had it I would give it. I would give her anything just to get my baby back,” she said.
Marobe said they were trying everything in their power to raise the ransom money.
Marobe said she had been asleep when she woke up to find Kgosietsile missing from his cot.
“I was not worried because I thought his nanny might have taken him to feed or was playing with him. I walked to my sister’s room, but he was not there.
“My sister said the nanny had come in to wake her to take her children to school but she said she was sleeping late.”
Searching the rest of the house, Marobe discovered that she had been locked in and that Kgosietsile, his nanny and her handbag were missing.
“I began screaming. I was so scared. I didn’t know what to do.”
Alerting neighbours, Marobe was eventually freed by a caretaker who helped her to call police and her husband.
In an emotional message to her son and his nanny, Marobe pleaded for his safe return. “I love you my little one. I love you so much. You will soon be back home.”
Asked about the wage dispute allegations, Marobe who said they met the nanny through a domestic worker agency, and claimed to have paid her on Friday.
“She went home for the weekend and came back on Sunday. She never said anything about being unhappy before she left or when she came back.
“I never thought she could do this. She was part of the family. Kgosietsile loves her and I always thought she loved him.
“Why would she do this? What has he done to her? Why would she want to hurt my baby?” Marobe asked.
Police spokeswoman Warrant Officer Annerie Robinson, said a case of kidnapping and extortion had been opened.
“We are following up on a number of leads and are working with the ‘agency’ who put the family in contact with the nanny.
“We have interviewed a number of people, including her boyfriend, and are confident of making a breakthrough soon,” she said.
She declined to elaborate on the investigation, for fear of jeopardising the case.
Robinson said they were looking for a Linette Moyo, who they believed could help them with their investigation. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Kgosietsile, his nanny or Moyo can contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111. - Pretoria News
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brasco, wrote
Pay your domestic , and this would not have happened .....I worked in a township , repairing houses , and the people would ALWAYS make some excuse not to pay ...one after the other !!!!! Carma is a b1t0h !!!!!
Anonymous, wrote
I have a domestic from Zim. She is the best thing since sliced bread. She is never sick, if running late she lets me know via SMS, has never loaned money, gets to work by 07h00 (by choice), if trains or busses not running - she makes an alternative plan to get to me. We all have bad incidents by our domestic some time or other (not condoning what the nanny did), but let's not jump to conclusions that because she is from ZIM - makes her a bad person. P.S. I have read that the baby has been returned to parents - Thank God!
Anonymous, wrote
Everytime a house is broken into or a handbag is stolen,the figures that come out always shock me.This one lost R5000.00 in cash.Read a story where someone lost R30000.00during a burglary.do people really keep such monies in their houses or they claim to have lost such amounts
Anonymous, wrote
mybe fone her and tell her that you have found 45 000 she must come and collect,cause she's after money,hope the innocent is still alive.
Africhic, wrote
OMG! I'm in the process of searching for a nanny for my 2yr old son! After looking for a family member within our greater family and relatives - my husband and I decided to try an agency. From the start we both decided we don't feel comfortable with a foreighn nanny...what I'm seeing here in this story was my biggest fear and nightmare! Now I'm starting to wonder about using an agency period! - this is really very frightening! - my heart goes out to this woman and her family. This child, an innocent soul - I hope he returns home safe.
Praying, wrote
What she has done is wrong. That little child did nothing to harm her. While maybe the employers didi exploit her, there is also the fact that bad things happen to good people. There is nothing in this world that someone can do to warrent the kidnapping of an innocent child. Just because you live in a modest home etc does not mean you have money. Take me for example, i stay in a modest home and have all the things i can give to mu kids but i am not rich, i work hard for what have to give. The babysitter needs to realise that and the employer needs to compensate for the hard work. I pray for that childs safe return and hope that this is sorte dout in a civil manner.
Anonymous, wrote
I must say their is a lot of holes in this story. Why employ someone that was in an asylum, how did the mother get the sms if the nanny stole her phone, either the story is badly written or this is just another cover up or something but couldn't agree with some of our readers dodgy!
Baba T, wrote
I guess the excitement is being created by the word Zimbabwean. There is more to this very fishy story, wage dispute really if it was why would you not pay people's dues if they work for you ? Some are already talking about syndicates from Zimbabwe please ? Why would you employ someone whose details you dont keep seperately, all photos of this woman deleted please be real. Someone needs to look for the truth, was there no insurance on this child's life
Active, wrote
I`ve also had a Zim maid that worked for us and plotted to take me down, letting her boyfriend and his gang into my house tying my 2 sons up to await my arrival, to take me to an autoteller to draw money and to do me.( this came out afterwards) also this little syndicate travels up and down the country to do what they do, it so happens that another maid preggy and jeolouse tipped us off otherwise I wouldnt be here today.While they waited for me they got cold feet and left, the maid phoned my wife saying we`ve been robbed, my wife`s hesteria about her sons sent a Task force in by Helicopter. Just as I arrived they did too. It came out they had a Photo of me and that shook me because I didnt know what they looked like, I was in a SState! and suspected everyone. Being a Target we moved House.So we can imagine what this poor lady is going through.
Msendo, wrote
My wish is that this lady be advised that she cannot hide in Zim (maybe in RSA) and therefore should not make it worse by hurting the innocent baby. What she has done is bad enough and she will have to pay for it, but hurting the baby will see her spending the rest of her life in jail. Do yourself, not Zimbabweans, a big favour my sister. Just bring the baby back and face the music.Please publish her picture and Zims will snatch her from her rural home, be it Domboshava or Ndolwane. Zims are here to work and not snatch babies.
Anonymous, wrote
Anonymous, wrote
Sipho, wrote
South Africans have the tendancy of hiring foreign nationals, especially Zimbambwens. I do not have an idea why? however I have an opinion. They think that, they can easily exploit them with impunity. Unlike South African nationals they are quick to recall they rights. This tendancy is almost in every industry. Hire foreign nationals with good intentions not to isolate South African nationals.
P, wrote
As much as I understand why people hire people from outside the country as they not afraid to work hard. Talking from experience most unemployed South Africans are too good to be helpers. I found a woman to help my friend who needed a helper desperately; the woman was South African a week was enough for that woman to work for my friend stating she misses her children too much after that she demanded my friend to pay a month of wages. Then again when we hire people from outside the country and they do things like this were do you start to look? In rural Zimbabwe were cars can not be driven, or were? It is a sad case i must say but please be careful who you hire and compensate your helpers well as well.
Nadm, wrote
This story makes no sense. Firstly, it states the nanny switched off the alarm on the mothers cellphone then she stole the cellphone and lastly smsed the mother. Why put off the alarm if you going to take the phone and who exactly did the nanny sms if she has the mothers phone. If the nanny had told someone she was going to kidnap the infant why was that not acted upon? this is either bad reporting because the facts dont add up or someone is not telling the truth.
martin, wrote
Anonymous, wrote
Last week a man,that was helping a Zimbabwean family was murdered by the Zimbabwean husband.Not many reports on that. This week a Zimbabwean nanny kidnaps a child.And why?
koos, wrote
Nanny from Zimbabwe, Father from Ghana something fishy here. Mother RSA this story is rediculous. We will pray with you for your child to return safe.
huh, wrote
Anonymous, wrote
please publish the baby's photos.The must be one photo left behind or extend family must have took the pictures of the baby. I wish and pray for a safe return of the innocent baby.
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