Cape Town – The biological father of Zephany Nurse believes his daughter has been “indoctrinated” and that has caused their relationship to become strained.
Morne Nurse continued his testimony in the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday and said he would never forgive the woman convicted of kidnapping his daughter from a Cape Town hospital almost 20 years ago.
“I will never forgive her for what she’s done, until she comes clean and is truthful with my daughter.”
The woman, who cannot be named to protect the identity she gave Zephany almost two decades ago, was convicted of kidnapping, fraud and contravening the Children’s Act. She snatched Zephany from her mother’s hospital bedside when she was three days old, on April 30, 1997.
Her true identity was revealed in February last year, after her biological sister started school at the same high school as her and classmates remarked on their striking resemblance.
The teenager’s sister told her father who immediately started his own investigations and then reported his suspicions to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks). DNA tests confirmed she was the child they had been searching for.
Morne Nurse told the court that when he was first reunited with Zephany “she was over the moon”. He told the court that she told him she had always doubted the people she lived with were her biological parents.
“She said she didn’t look like them.”
But he said their relationship subsequently went “dormant”. He blamed the souring of their relationship on the accused.
“When the accused got bail I felt Zephany was indoctrinated. Our relationship died when she (the accused) came out.”
He said he was “aching” for a relationship with his daughter, but “unfortunately that is not happening”.
Nurse told the court his other three children had suffered and desperately wanted a relationship with their sister.
“They are forever asking when is she coming. I have no answers for them.”
Turning to the accused and addressing her directly, Nurse said: “The only thing I would like to tell the person who is sitting there is you have killed us in more ways than one. She will never know what she has put us through.”
The accused has shown no remorse and seemed to stifle her laughter on several occasions during Nurse’s testimony.
Morne Nurse, clearly angered by her attitude, said: “You are laughing here, they keep on laughing, saying ugly things.”
He also told the court he felt the State had failed his family and that Zephany should not have been allowed to return to live with the accused’s husband after her arrest.
He testified that Zephany had told him that the accused continued to live with her husband after she was released on bail, even though she was ordered not to have contact with the teenager.
“She is not going to choose us, that is normal.”
Nurse refused to tell the court how he felt about the way Zephany was raised.
Outside court, Zephany’s paternal grandmother Zephra Nurse told journalists “we went through shock for eighteen years, she (Zephany) went through shock for the last year now only, it must be very, very difficult so we are not pushing her”.
The young woman, who is now 19 years old, testified in camera for the State earlier on Wednesday. Judge John Hlophe ordered that no details of her testimony be revealed to the media.
The accused has been behind bars at Pollsmoor Prison since her bail was revoked when she was found guilty in March.
The final State witness, investigating officer Mike Barkhuizen, is expected to take the stand on Thursday.
African News Agency