Cape Town – A baby girl, who was reportedly kidnapped at birth 20 years ago in Mpumalanga, has finally been found after her biological brother spotted a photo of her on Facebook and was startled by the resemblance.
According to The Citizen, on March 23, 2001, a woman aged 16 at the time, Sbahle Sithole, gave birth to a baby girl, and both mother and child were later discharged from the Ermelo Provincial Hospital on the same day.
As they were heading home in the company of the baby’s aunt, they met a woman who offered to carry the child while the aunt headed to the shop to buy something to eat.
“After a little while, the said woman then reportedly took the baby, promised to return, and went towards the direction where the aunt had headed to.
ALSO READ: Man, 23, held for perjury after false claim of hijacking and kidnapping of his 5-yr-old nephew
“The aunt returned but the said woman never did and after searching for the woman and the baby for a while, their attempts were futile,” the report quoted Mpumalanga SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala as saying.
The incident was then reported to the police.
However, they had no luck until recently.
According to TimesLIVE, Sithole’s son was scrolling through Facebook when on the “people you may know”option, a picture of a young woman whom he believed looked a lot like his mother popped up.
Bothered by the uncanny resemblance, he showed his grandmother and mother the picture.
With so much astonishment that this could be her child in the picture, Sithole went to the police station and relayed that she believed she had found her long-lost daughter.
ALSO READ: Grade-12 pupil receives trauma counselling after 4 men allegedly try to kidnap her
After an investigation, the police conducted DNA samples which matched Sithole’s DNA.
A 50-year-old woman was then arrested and charged accordingly, as she was alleged to have been the one behind the said incident.
She was granted bail of R1 000, and the case was postponed to January 18.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Picture: Pexels
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
Compiled by Sinothando Siyolo
