Durban - The family of a nine-month-old infant is pleading with the public to assist in locating their relative who disappeared with the child on Saturday from their Port Shepstone family home.
The child, named Christopher Nkonyeni,was in the care of an aunt when her daughter left with the infant.
The child’s father Charles Nkonyeni and his girlfriend rent a room outside the Nkonyeni family home.
He said that they had a standing arrangement with his aunt, who was unemployed, who looked after their baby during the day, while they were at work.
“As we usually do, on Saturday morning we went to drop off our son, in the main house with my aunt,” he said.
When they got to the house, they found that the aunt’s 19-year-old daughter, Nqobile Ndovela, had been visiting.
She had been named by the police in a statement on Tuesday.
The baby was going to be left in the care of the aunt, her daughter and Nkonyeni’s sister, 12.
Around lunchtime, Nkonyeni received a call from the frantic aunt.
“She explained to me that she had gone to a neighbor’s house for a few minutes, and upon her return she discovered that my cousin had left with Christopher (the baby).”
Ndovela had a left a message with the 12-year-old, that she had gone to town to meet a friend and would proceed to buy a few items for the baby and the 12-year-old, then come straight home.
There has been no sight of her or the baby since.
Police said in a statement that a case had been opened with SAPS Port Shepstone Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS).