A 14-month-old baby boy reunites with family again after being kidnapped at their house in Protea Glen last Tuesday night. Baby Siyabonga Mlambo was found unharmed in Newcastle, KwaZulu Natal; and later police arrested three people including the nanny of the toddler and a reported witch doctor.
On Tuesday, Oct. 25, two men entered the Mlambo house where the toddler together with his mother, Mandisa Mlambo, and babysitter dwelled. Armed with knife and gun, they forced the mother to withdraw cash from an cash machine in a shopping mall in Protea Glen. Afterward, the suspects drove back to the Mlambo residence, tied the nanny and the mother, and took all their personal belongings even the toddler.
Two days after, the child was found totally fine by the police in Newcastle, KwaZulu Natal. On Friday, the baby has reunited with his mom again.
"What happened was the worst thing ever. I wouldn't wish something like this on anyone," News24 quoted Mandisa as telling. "I was held hostage at our own home, a place I call my comfort zone," she added. The toddler's father, on the other hand, said that after hearing one of the suspects was a sangoma, his breath stopped and started to think a worst scenario could have happened and even though his son was not dead.
Police investigated the toddler's nanny, who is a relative of the mother. Based on the investigation, police discovered that the mastermind of the kidnapping was the nanny herself.
The child's nanny was immediately brought to the custody. South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesman Jon Kunene stated that the nanny and the todller's mother are relatives, while the two culprits are cousins of the nanny from the side of her father.
Meanwhile, the other two suspects were arrested through the help of a Newcastle child. As per IOL, the child overheard his parents discussing the abduction and passed on info for them to call the police. The two men were arrested after the child gave accurate descriptions of them and baby Siyabonga.
