The story unfolded on January 10, after Susan van Staden, the baby’s mother, reacted to a friend request on facebook.
After she accepted the invite, the woman who invited her, contacted van Staden, telling her about baby furniture and clothing which she would like to donate to her.
They started making arrangements on how to get together to finalise things.
It wasn’t long before the woman and van Staden met in person and had coffee at van Staden’s house.
“We were discussing how to get the baby clothes and furniture to my house,” said van Staden.
But as the communication via facebook continued, she changed the set date every time.
The appointments have come and were postponed until February 12, when van Staden was at the Springs Clinic.
“It was early in the morning when I was at the clinic, when she contacted me to find out where I was,” said van Staden.
The woman arrived at the clinic at 8.35am.
The woman was accompanied by her 14-year-old son, and she offered to take me and my baby for breakfast.
Thereafter they would have gone to fetch the baby furniture and clothing at the woman’s home in Benoni.
Excited about the promised stuff, van Staden and her baby got into the woman’s car and left with them.
The baby was put in the car seat with the woman’s son next to her and the two women in front.
They did not go for breakfast at Sharon Park, but instead they drove around to Dunnottar and then to Nigel.
It is then that van Staden noticed they are driving on the N17 highway, as the next moment she realised they were at Carnival Mall.
When she asked the woman why they were there, she was informed they would have breakfast in Springs later.
“She informed me we were on our way to a wooden house where they sell disposable baby nappies,” said van Staden.
As soon as they arrived there, they left again, driving in the direction of Springs.
“My baby started moaning at that stage as she was hungry. The woman stopped the car to enable me to feed the baby,” said van Staden.
Without noticing anything strange, van Staden got into the back of the car next to her baby to give her a bottle and the woman’s 14-year-old son climbed over the back seat into the back of the car.
In the meantime the woman’s husband phoned to say they could get a trailer on the same day.
Later on the woman apologised and gave the excuse that she was confused, as her husband actually said the trailer was only available the next day.
While they were driving the woman’s cellphone rang again and all she replied when she answered was, “alles reg”.
“At this stage she informed me we are going to fetch a trailer close to her house in Benoni.
“It was quite strange to me, as to why her son would go to a local school while they live in Benoni,” said van Staden.
She added they stopped next to an open field, and it was only later that she realised they were in Pollak Park.
The woman said to her she can open her window if it is getting too hot in the car, which she did open eventually.
The woman got out of the car and stood at van Staden’s open window, when she ordered her son “nou Boeta”.
Van Staden was shocked when she felt a cloth with a very strong smell covering her mouth, which made her feel confused and disordered.
“When I felt dizzy, I put up a struggle, but the woman’s arms came through the window and pushed me back in my seat, until I felt the cloth over my face again,” said van Staden.
Although her seat belt was fastened, she managed to free herself and climb over the front seat.
She also managed to grab her cellphone, which was in the door of the front passenger seat and van Staden jumped out of the vehicle.
Still dizzy, she moved to the back of the car, where the woman waited for her and grabbed her again.
She managed to free herself again and ran away.
When she was quite a distance away from the car, she turned around and saw the woman leaving with her baby still in the backseat.
Van Staden immediately phoned her husband while she took the lay of the land.
Her husband picked her up at an open field next to Pollak Park Golf course.
It was then that she received a phone call from the woman telling her she had left her baby in the car.
The woman told van Staden she could fetch her baby at Sundowners in Dersley.
Van Staden and her husband left for Sundowners immediately.
The woman and her son waited for them and handed over the baby to her parents.
Van Staden went to the police, despite the woman pleading with them not to, and a case of kidnapping were opened at the Springs Police station.
She is now waiting for the police to investigate.
Springs police spokesman Captain Johannes Ramphora confirmed a kidnapping case has been opened and the police are investigating.
A very relieved mother and baby are together again and van Staden would like to warn the public to be careful who they invite on social media, as people easily trust others.
