Baby Kutlwano still missing after 92 days

Today marks 92 days since two-year-old Kutlwano Shalaba of Boipatong, in the Vaal, went missing.

And on Wednesday, as his mother Keneiwe Shalaba returned to the Vanderbijlpark magistrate's court for the third day for a bail application, the investigating officer, Sgt George Motloung, revealed how she tried to get people to lie on her behalf after she reported the baby missing.

The state is alleging that Shalaba sold baby Kutlwano in November and later reported him missing. There's still no information on little Kutlwano's whereabouts.

 “We are still looking for the child and we are following leads. The state has a strong case against the applicant [Shalaba]. We are at an advanced stage of the investigation,” said Motloung, who asked the court to deny Shalaba bail because she would interfere with witnesses.

According to Motloung, Shalaba alleged she went to Durban with Kutlwano on November 10 to buy clothes to sell. “The child was not there,” he said, adding that he obtained statements and affidavits from a group of women Shalaba travelled with to KwaZulu-Natal.

He was told that Shalaba had asked those she travelled with to lie, if questioned by cops, and say she was with Kutlwano in Durban. 

When she reported Kutlwano missing on November 13, she told the police that before he was snatched from her by unknown men in a silver grey vehicle, she had taken him to a doctor because he was not feeling well.

But Motloung said the doctor who supposedly examined Kutlwano denied seeing the baby.

He said he mostly struggled to get hold of Shalaba and it was only when he interviewed her for the third time that she admitted to lying about her son being kidnapped, and that she had given him to her mother-in-law. 

Motloung revealed to the court that Shalaba's friend, who has now turned state witness, said a day after she reported Kutlwano missing, Shalaba allegedly asked her to contact Kutlwano's father to demand a R40,000 ransom to release the child.

This came a day after she received R75,000 into her bank account, he revealed.

“The same day the money (R75,000) was deposited is the same day that an alleged kidnapping [case] was opened at the police station. It gave me good suspicion, why on the same day the money is deposited, then a kidnapping case is opened. [A] kidnapping that never happened,” said Motloung.

Asked by Shalaba's attorney Thabelo Tshitaka if he followed the source of the money, Motloung said: “We are working on it. We will get that information.”

Motloung said before Shalaba appeared in court, she gave a warning statement, alleging that she gave Kutlwano to a “Lehlogonolo” on November 10. He said he questioned Lehlogonolo, who said Shalaba asked him to gather some men so they can hijack the women she was travelling with.

Lehlogonolo also alleged that he met with Shalaba on November 10, and drove her to Vereeniging where she was to meet the women. He alleged that at the time, Shalaba had a teddy bear strapped to her back. He said Shalaba told them which vehicle they would be travelling in and how many people would be in the vehicle.

However, the hijacking attempt failed due to police presence along the road.

When Tshitaka said there was no evidence that his client was part of the conspiracy to commit an offence, Motloung responded: “We have evidence, messages between Shalaba and Lehlogonolo. When they were planning the hijacking... and the state will present such information during trial.”  

The case was postponed to Thursday.  

SowetanLIVE