Update: Family speaks of horror abduction ordeal

The traumatised 4-year-old child and her mother spoke to a Ladysmith Gazette reporter as they recalled the horrific abduction ordeal that took place yesterday afternoon (Monday, November 17).

The little girl was with her mother and a close friend in the Oval Shopping Complex. According to the mother, they had gone into three shops in the Oval. The nightmare happened at the last clothing store they went into.

The ladies were window shopping and the child was in sight of the mother; she was feeding her daughter a packet of chips. As the ladies were heading out of the store, a certain item caught their attention. That’s when everything went wrong… In the blink of an eye, the 4-year-old girl was gone. “The lady who attempted to abduct my child had to be watching us,” said the mother.

The mother and her friend, in a state of hysteria, searched the store, questioned the security guard in the store, and then frantically rushed out, all the while screaming the child’s name. Two African women approached the mother and told her they had seen an African women with a screaming child, heading towards the Murchison Mall.

Fearing the worst, the women ran towards the Murchison Mall and much to their relief, they saw the child walking with an Oval security guard. “At that moment, I felt such a sense of relief just seeing my child’s face. The security guard was holding her hand and speaking to her while she was sobbing,” explained the mother.

“I  grabbed my child in my arms, embracing her and checking if she had any injuries.” The ladies were so caught up in the moment that they forgot to thank the security guard. “I don’t know how to express my appreciation to the Oval security guard who brought my child back to me,” said the mother. The family only has 2 children, with the 4-year old being conceived 12 years after the first child was born. The little girl is described as being a blessing to the family and having someone try to take her away from them was a nightmare that became reality.

The little girl, scared and withdrawn, spoke to the reporter about what transpired. “She carried me out of the store, holding me tightly. She said I must ‘Sssssh’ and she walked very fast,” said the girl. The abductor is described as a large African lady. When the child realised her mum was not in sight, she began screaming and kicked the woman.

At that stage, the would-be kidnapper probably realised the child was drawing too much attention, left her and ran away. That’s when the Oval security guard reunited the 4-year-old with her mother.

The family would like to advise parents to be alert at all times and be extra cautious. “Today it happened to me, tomorrow it could be you,” said the mother.

The name of the girl is known to the Ladysmith Gazette.