KANYAMAZANE – A-36-year old mother is appealing to the father of her child to return the one-year-old toddler to her.
Relating her story to this reporter, Ms Nompumelelo Mlotshwa said that she met and engaged herself in a relationship with the father of the child, Mr Richard Biya in 2012.
She claims that she then fell pregnant a few weeks after they met and when she told Biya about the pregnancy, the married man offered her money to have the baby aborted but she refused.
“I could not kill my child, I’m not a murderer and it was not my fault that we had unprotected sexual relation. We both had to face the consequences,” said the sobbing Mlotshwa.
According to Mlotshwa, after she told him about the pregnancy, Biya discontinued the relationship and did not support her throughout the pregnancy.
“After the baby was born, I informed him and he would at times give me money to buy things needed by the baby, but the financial support was not consistent,” she continued.
She said that all hell broke loose when the baby started to be sick and she would request him to add more money for her medical needs. She also wanted him to take the child to his parents home so they could perform a ritual for her since she would not stop crying.
“Desperately, I once took the baby to his house where he ended up beating me up and I opened a case of assault against him, but it was dropped because of lack of evidence,” she added.
She said that the last straw was when the baby would not stop crying that she ended up dropping her at his house on the verandah and just left her there. Since then she has not seen the baby and has no knowledge of her whereabouts.
“I appeal to him to bring my child back. My aim was not to abandon my angel, I just wanted him to pay attention and now I’m feeling the pain. Not knowing where she is kills me and she is a sick child who depends on daily medical treatment. I don’t even know if she is given the necessary medicine because I have it with me,” she said weeping.
After hearing that Mlotshwa had approacN hed Mpumalanga News for help, Biya, who is also a police official, contacted the publication and this is what he had to say:
“I agree that I had an affair with this woman behind my wife’s back and that was the biggest mistake of my life. I did ask her to have an abortion since I did not want my marriage to be affected negatively.
After the baby was born, I supported her the way I could afford. Now, if Nompumelelo claims to love this baby, why did she leave her at my doorstep. She actually abandoned her and I have taken over,”
Biya said that he had taken the baby to a safe place and he will be working with social workers to have the toddler placed at a safe place where he will be able to maintain her without Mlothswa’s constant nagging.
When this reporter contacted social workers that Mlotshwa has approached for help, no one was prepared to comment on the issue.
“This is a sensitive issue with too much lying involved and the confidentiality that goes with this profession does not allow me to disclose any information to you,” said one of the social workers.
