Baby Precious Tawonaishe Sairai, just six months old, mysteriously disappeared from her mother's rented room in Marokolong, near Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, three weeks ago.
The mother, Purity, 30, apparently left her sleeping with a woman she had been asked by a fellow Zimbabwean man to accommodate for a night.
The man, who had allegedly identified himself as Billiat, allegedly told the unsuspecting mother the woman had just arrived from Zimbabwe.
The man allegedly requested Purity to accommodate the woman for the night, claiming that she could not reach by phone the person she was visiting.
Like any other day when Purity goes to work, Precious was to be collected by a baby sitter.
The baby sitter apparently found the baby still sleeping and told the woman she would bathe and go to the clinic.
When she returned from the clinic, she allegedly discovered that the woman had disappeared with baby Precious.
Purity reported the matter to the police, who traced the phone.
"Police called Billiat, who answered and said he's in a taxi. They said 'give the phone to the taxi driver', but that's when he ended the call," the devastated mother told Sowetan yesterday.
"The phone has been off till that day. But now and then, the number is still active on WhatsApp."
She has been to the man's workplace and residence several times with police, where they were told he had gone to Zimbabwe on grounds his mother had died.
But the police, on investigation, discovered that the man's name was not Billiat.
Purity is certain the man knows where Precious is. "I'm sure he took my baby. If he didn't, then why has he switched off the phone? Why has he run away if he didn't do anything?" she asked.
She is terrified for her child. "I'm afraid. I don't know what he wants to do with my baby.
"Maybe he wants to sell her. But you know these days people also take people's body parts; maybe he wants to kill her.
"I have serious stress. I can't sleep or do anything because I do not know where my baby is. It's been three weeks now since they took her," Purity said.
Constable Herman Moremi, spokesman for Temba police, confirmed that they were investigating the case.
He said they were searching for the suspect. "We're looking for that man because he's the suspect. He is missing. When we called him he switched off the phone," Moremi said.
nkosib@sowetan.co.za
Mom's frantic hunt for missing baby
Baby Precious Tawonaishe Sairai, just six months old, mysteriously disappeared from her mother's rented room in Marokolong, near Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, three weeks ago.
The mother, Purity, 30, apparently left her sleeping with a woman she had been asked by a fellow Zimbabwean man to accommodate for a night.
The man, who had allegedly identified himself as Billiat, allegedly told the unsuspecting mother the woman had just arrived from Zimbabwe.
The man allegedly requested Purity to accommodate the woman for the night, claiming that she could not reach by phone the person she was visiting.
Like any other day when Purity goes to work, Precious was to be collected by a baby sitter.
The baby sitter apparently found the baby still sleeping and told the woman she would bathe and go to the clinic.
When she returned from the clinic, she allegedly discovered that the woman had disappeared with baby Precious.
Purity reported the matter to the police, who traced the phone.
"Police called Billiat, who answered and said he's in a taxi. They said 'give the phone to the taxi driver', but that's when he ended the call," the devastated mother told Sowetan yesterday.
"The phone has been off till that day. But now and then, the number is still active on WhatsApp."
She has been to the man's workplace and residence several times with police, where they were told he had gone to Zimbabwe on grounds his mother had died.
But the police, on investigation, discovered that the man's name was not Billiat.
Purity is certain the man knows where Precious is. "I'm sure he took my baby. If he didn't, then why has he switched off the phone? Why has he run away if he didn't do anything?" she asked.
She is terrified for her child. "I'm afraid. I don't know what he wants to do with my baby.
"Maybe he wants to sell her. But you know these days people also take people's body parts; maybe he wants to kill her.
"I have serious stress. I can't sleep or do anything because I do not know where my baby is. It's been three weeks now since they took her," Purity said.
Constable Herman Moremi, spokesman for Temba police, confirmed that they were investigating the case.
He said they were searching for the suspect. "We're looking for that man because he's the suspect. He is missing. When we called him he switched off the phone," Moremi said.
nkosib@sowetan.co.za
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