Mom, baby kidnapping case postponed

Published Jan 16, 2015

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Johannesburg - The bail application of four men accused of kidnapping a mother and her baby in Diepsloot is set for Monday, after their case was postponed on Thursday to confirm some of the accused’s immigration status.

Walter Ndlovu, Thulani Nyathi, Nkosinathi Nyathi and Emmanuel Sibanda are accused of kidnapping the mother after travelling with her from Zimbabwe.

Before reaching her destination of Brits, the men operating the taxi allegedly inflated her fare to R1 500, which she could not pay.

She and her baby were then taken to a shack in Diepsloot, north of Joburg, where they were kept for days.

The alleged kidnappers apparently called the woman’s husband and threatened that unless he paid the R1 500, he would never see his wife and daughter again.

The father could not afford the amount and alerted the police, who found the kidnapped woman and dehydrated child.

Police officers, out of their own pockets, ensured that the baby and mother were properly nourished, as advised by paramedics, before taking them to their home, Warrant Officer Daniel Mavimbela said.

The four suspects appeared last week for the first time in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court.

On Thursday in court, the case was postponed because Nkosinathi Nyathi and Sibanda both asked for legal aid representation, while Ndlovu’s status as a possible illegal immigrant needed to be confirmed.

State prosecutor Dinesh Nandkissor said Ndlovu’s passport had a stamp supposedly showing he had entered South Africa lawfully, but that the Department of Home Affairs had said there was no record of him entering the country.

The court was told that Thulani Nyathi was in the country legally, having followed the correct procedures, but his visa was set to expire on Sunday. Nkosinathi Nyathi and Sibanda were both in South Africa illegally.

The Star

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