MBOMBELA – The chances of ever finding the baby who was kidnapped from Rob Ferreira Hospital last year, seem slimmer than ever. The last of five suspects left the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court a free man last Friday.
The day-old infant, who had not even been named yet, and referred to only as “Baby Mandlazi”, disappeared from the side of his sleeping mother, Martha Mandlazi (17) on August 30 last year.
Lowvelder previously reported that the infant was taken by someone who posed as a family member. How this happened and where they exited the building could not be confirmed as the hospital’s closed-circuit television was out of order.
A week later, the police arrested five suspects. They were Mr Phineas Sono (35), Ms Portia Ncube (31) and Mr Aaron Moyo Nyoni (20), Mr Julius Sithole (25) and Mr Ananias Ndzimba (27).
In May, it was clarified that none of the five had anything to do with kidnapping Baby Mandlazi.
They were then charged with contravening the Immigration Act instead.
According to provincial police spokesman Brig Selvy Mohlala, the prosecution did not continue their cases against Sithole and Ndzimba.
Ncube and Nyoni paid admission-of-guilt fines in order to finalise the cases against them.
Last Friday, the case of illegal immigration was dropped against Sono as the state had not placed sufficient evidence against him on record.
Sono did not have much comment apart from repeatedly expressing his relief that this ordeal was finally over. He faced prosecution for two crimes he did not commit, kidnapping a baby and being an illegal immigrant.
“I’ve been a South African since the day of my birth,” he said.
Although various community members frequently attended the five’s court appearances in support of Mandlazi, neither she or any of them were present on Friday.
Mandlazi had previously said that she would continue to hope for her baby’s safe return.
Lowvelder was unable to reach Mandlazi for further comment.
Recap: The kidnapping of baby Mandlazi
Recap: Kidnapping charges dropped
