A man accused of kidnapping his three children is set to appear in Randburg magistrate’s court in a third attempt at a formal bail application on Wednesday.

Abdul Gaffar Tarmahomed‚ a British national‚ took the children to Mozambique in August last year.

Tramahomed has been charged with contempt of court‚ assault and wrongful removal of children.

According to the children’s mother‚ Somiya Basar‚ 32‚ it’s been eight months since she last saw them after Tarmahomed snatched them from their family home in Douglasdale‚ in the north of Johannesburg‚ under the pretense of spending time with them.

“Had he followed the law‚ today the children could have continued a stable life living with me and seeing their father‚” said Basar.

“I would never want my kids to hate either of the parents‚ thinking that our mum abandoned us or our father kept us away from our mother‚ depriving them of mother’s love‚” she added.

Basar said she failed to comprehend how her children could have been allowed to cross the Lebombo border into Mozambique‚ with no proper parental consent from her.

She has since been forced to move back to India‚ her country of birth‚ after her permit in South Africa expired.

Tramahomed had married Basar and resided in Mozambique‚ but had relocated to Johannesburg with her ex-husband and children due to increasing crime in Mozambique.

The family had been in living in South Africa with permits since 2014.

“I cannot make peace with myself‚ knowing that I have been deceived by their father and they were taken away from me in the most treacherous manner. I failed to protect them as a mother‚” said Basar.