The day before she allegedly snatched a five-day-old baby boy while pretending to assist his mother at a shopping mall, Amahle Sigam befriended the new mother’s sister at Dora Nginza Hospital.
Details of how Sigam was allegedly able to kidnap the infant in November played out in the New Brighton magistrate’s court on Friday as the 20-year-old sat quietly in the dock, listening to the state’s evidence as it opposed her bid for bail.
Testifying on behalf of the state, the investigation officer, Sergeant Sizile Sindi of the police’s family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit, said it was thanks to the eagle-eyed social workers at Dora Nginza that Sigam was caught.
According to Sindi, two people, claiming to be the grandparents of the child, had on June 23 attempted to obtain a birth certificate from the hospital, allegedly using fraudulent paperwork.
A maternity ward discharge form taken along with the child on November 27 for registration purposes had allegedly been tampered with, Sindi said.
Detailing the events leading up to the kidnapping, Sindi said the day before the mother and son were discharged, her sister had gone to visit her.
When the sister arrived at the maternity ward a woman approached her and introduced herself as “Asanda”.
It is alleged Asanda, believed to be Sigam, had told the sister that she was there to visit someone else.
The pair later went to see the new mother, who told them she would be discharged the next day and that she would need a lift.
The following day, when the mother’s sister went to the hospital, Sigam allegedly met her at the entrance of the maternity ward and told her the mom and baby had already left.
Moments later, Sigam met up with the kidnapped child’s mother and allegedly told her that she was there to fetch her and her son but that they first needed to go to Kenako Mall to withdraw money and buy baby clothes.
It was while the pair were waiting in a queue at an ATM that Sigam allegedly offered to hold the baby while the new mom took a seat because she was feeling tired.
After a while the woman went to look for Sigam and her baby but could not find them.
She then made her way home on foot and reported the matter to her family, who took her to the police station to report the baby as missing.
Sigam had also allegedly disappeared with the woman’s ID, the baby’s clinic card, and hospital discharge form.
The same discharge form was used by the “grandparents” at the hospital when social workers noticed the names of the parents had been blotted out and new names inserted.
Sigam was instead allegedly listed as the baby’s mother and his date of birth had also been changed.
However, Sigam allegedly forgot to alter her age on the form.
Police were contacted by suspicious social workers who then went to visit the woman to inform her that her baby had been found.
According to Sindi, a woman who all that time had thought she was the child’s grandmother, led the police to Sigam.
When questioned, Sigam allegedly admitted that she had snatched the baby.
In opposing her release on bail, Sindi said Sigam’s life might be danger should she be released, and that she might interfere with state witness or attempt to destroy evidence.
Sigam was arrested on June 27 and faces charges of kidnapping, forgery and uttering.
The matter was postponed to Tuesday for cross-examination.
HeraldLIVE
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