Two people accused of kidnapping 4-month-old baby arrested

Two people accused of kidnapping a 4-month-old baby earlier this month appeared in the Potchefstroom Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Adalia Ncebeshe, 31, and Hendrik Kokoene, 49, will remain in custody.

According to police spokesperson Colonel Adéle Myburgh, the 20-year-old mother of the baby allegedly met Ncebeshe at a grocery store in Ventersdorp.

Ncebeshe allegedly informed her she was from the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) and offered to help the mother obtain a Sassa grant for her baby.

On 4 November, Ncebeshe allegedly went to the mother’s house to fetch her.

The mother, baby and Ncebeshe boarded a taxi from Ventersdorp to Potchefstroom. When they arrived in Potchefstroom, all three of them got into a red Toyota Tazz that was waiting for them, driven by Kokoene.

“They drove around Potchefstroom and stopped at a café close to Potchefstroom Hospital, and asked the mother if she wanted to buy something to eat.

“The mother left her baby in the vehicle and went inside the shop. When she exited the shop, the Tazz and the occupants, including her baby, were gone,” Myburgh said.

The Potchefstroom Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit followed up information and on the evening of 5 November Kokoene was traced and found in Ikageng, outside Potchefstroom, while Ncebeshe was allegedly found with the baby in Rustenburg.

They were arrested and the baby boy was handed back to his mother, unharmed.

They will appear in court again on 18 November for a formal bail application.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.