Baby Siwaphiwe’s mother arrested
"The diversion of policing resources by people with selfish motives cannot be tolerated at all" - Lt Gen Khomotso Phahlane
The 34-year-old mother of the baby, who’s alleged abduction in a hijacking in Durban on Friday made international headlines, was arrested by police today, along with another woman and a man.
This follows the successful rescue of baby Siwaphiwe Mbambo last night.
The Acting National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, Lt Gen Khomotso Phahlane said the police suspect the mother may have been involved in arranging the hijacking.
“Too many inconsistencies emerged during the interviews especially in terms of the initial reporting to the police of how the incident developed.
“Information generated from the interviews became critical in the setting up of a roadblock in Marianhill in the early hours of this morning.
“A car was stopped by the police wherein a man, a woman and the baby in question was found with the baby unharmed.
“The baby has been placed under the care of Social Development,” he said.
The police spent well over 24 hours searching for the child.
On Friday the baby’s mother reported to the police that her Toyata Yaris car had been hijacked with her 1 month old baby on the back seat.
The car was later found abandoned in Montclair with the baby and the nappy bag missing.
“The South African Police Service invested a lot in this case, including members working overtime, the use of vehicles and aircraft which impacted negatively on the availability of police resources in the fight against priority crimes,” said Phahlane.
“The diversion of policing resources by people with selfish motives cannot be tolerated at all.
“It is thus critical that in situations like this, those involved are dealt with during the processing of their cases by the courts of our country.
“A special prosecutor was appointed this morning to work with the SAPS on this case.
““We, as the South African Police Service, are extremely grateful that this innocent baby has been rescued from a dubious situation to say the least.
“False claims of crimes which have an entire nation and beyond in a state of sorrow and anxiety, should be condemned,” said Phahlane.
Those who have been arrested are in custody and will appear in court soon.
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