The boyfriend had been giving her R2 500 monthly to take care of the child.
A 35-year-old nanny is expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Monday after being arrested for allegedly stealing a nine-month-old child from the infant’s home on Saturday.
The woman was apprehended in Empangeni during an early morning police operation on Sunday.
She is facing charges after allegedly taking the child without the mother’s consent and travelling about 170 kilometres north to Empangeni.
Mother discovers child missing
According to police reports, the incident unfolded on Saturday when the mother returned home to find that both her son and nanny were gone.
She immediately contacted the nanny to enquire about their whereabouts, having not given permission for the child to be taken outside the house.
“The nanny informed the mother of the child that she was somewhere at Empangeni but could not provide a reasonable explanation why she had left and taken the child with her,” said police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Magwaza.
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Police launch immediate investigation
Magwaza said that upon further communication, the conversation between the two women took a disturbing turn.
The nanny suggested the mother needed to travel alone to Empangeni to fetch her child.
“The matter was reported at Durban Central Police Station and all relevant police units were immediately on board to assist with the investigation,” Magwaza said.
Child found unharmed
Police conducted an operation in Empangeni in the early hours of Sunday morning, 28 September 2025.
The 35-year-old woman was arrested during the operation.
Magwaza said the child was found safe.
“The child was found unharmed and has been taken for a precautionary medical examination,” he said.
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Nanny deceived boyfriend
Further investigations revealed a disturbing motive for the alleged theft.
According to Magwaza, the suspect informed her boyfriend that the child was theirs.
“The boyfriend had been giving her R2 500 a month to take care of the child.”
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