Police save baby from shack after father sets it on fire, attacks officers

The Northern Cape’s Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Luntu Ngubelanga commended the “swift and decisive action” executed by Hanover police officers who saved a two-month-old baby from a burning shack on Saturday.

Police spokesperson, Sergeant Timothy Sam said the mother of the infant alerted the police that her boyfriend forcefully took their child from her and locked the baby and himself inside their shack, threatening to burn it down.

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“Sergeants Mthetheleli Mthambeki and Khanyisa Khalashe, and constables Andile Jara and Andre Coetzee, who were on the scene tried, to negotiate with the suspect to release the infant until they noticed smoke coming from the shack,” Sam said.

“The police forcefully gained entrance to the shack while the suspect charged them with a sharp object. Fortunately, the members were able to ward off the attack.

“The police safely removed the child and apprehended and charged the suspect for attempted murder.”

The father appeared at the Hanover Magistrate Court on Monday, where he was remanded in custody until 8 April for legal representaton.

“The police are investigating the motive behind this incident and will remain relentless in ensuring that justice is served for victims of gender-based violence and femicide,” Sam added.

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A gruesome kidnapping

Earlier on Monday, Mpumalanga police said they had launched a manhunt for six suspects who allegedly kidnapped and cut the hands off a 30-year-old man during an abduction near Witbank.

Police said the man narrowly escaped death this past week when he was forced into a bakkie with his hands and feet bound.

When the suspects dropped the man off, they cut his hands off, taking them with them.

“The victim suffered excruciating pain and bled profusely; however, the security officers came to his aid,” police spokesperson Donald Mdluli said.

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Additional reporting by Faizel Patel.