Masingita Chabane, a traffic officer at the Malamulele Traffic Department, and her co-accused Stephen Sithole are expected to appear in the Saselamani Magistrate’s Court on Thursday facing charges of kidnapping a minor.
Earlier this year, on 4 March, the court heard that Chabane stalked a pregnant teenager, Hlulani Chauke, for months and then stole her baby after it was born.
During their bail hearing, the court heard how the accused tailed Chauke for months on end as her pregnancy progressed.
State prosecutor Hilke Janse van Rensburg said the accused faked her pregnancy to match that of the teenager. She even applied for maternity leave from July to November.
During that period Chauke gave birth. But the teen mother was subsequently murdered and her baby stolen.
In October, police found the missing baby with the accused following a tip-off. They also recovered a cellphone that belonged to the murdered teenager from Chabane’s husband.
Chabane, who allegedly hired a hitman to kill the teenager, is facing charges of murder, robbery, kidnapping and theft of a motor vehicle.
Investigating officer Thomas Ngobeni told the court the accused approached the alleged hitman, Stephen Sithole. She told him there were people in Johannesburg willing to pay R50,000 for a baby, but the mother had to be killed.
Ngobeni said on the day Chauke was killed, the accused called the teen and pretended that she wanted to help her acquire a birth certificate for her baby.
Ngobeni said Chabane drove off with Chauke and her baby to the nearby Nandoni Dam, where the teen mother was killed. Her body was dumped in a bush.
Sithole, who is pleading not guilty, told the court he confessed to killing Chauke because he was afraid of undergoing police torture. He also confessed to kidnapping the baby for a R50,000 fee.
The alleged hitman cooperated with police leading to Chabane’s arrest.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
