SHE was gripped by so much fear and panic she could barely get a word out when she tried to tell the police what had happened.
It was almost impossible to find the words that no parent ever wants to hear themselves say – “My child has been kidnapped.”
Dipuo Nyambiri was overwhelmed and sobbing uncontrollably when she told the police her three-month-old boy had been taken from her at the Mamelodi West Clinic.
Dipuo (35) had brought little Tshegofatso to the clinic for his scheduled 14-week vaccinations. She wasn’t the least bit suspicious when a friendly woman seated next to her complimented her on her adorable infant and asked if she could hold him.
The stranger held him and played with him for a few minutes, until he dozed off, while the conversation between her and his mother turned to the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
As they chatted, a nurse approached them. “She came to tell us to undress our kids as it was time to weigh them,” recalls Dipuo, a domestic worker, who was listening attentively to the nurse.
“In the blink of an eye, the woman disappeared with my baby.”
Dipuo was overcome with panic. “I felt as if I was going mad when I realised the stranger had disappeared with my child,” she says.
Denne historien er fra 2 April 2020-utgaven av Drum English.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra 2 April 2020-utgaven av Drum English.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Homegrown Heroes
Drum speaks to two volunteers in the Covid-19 vaccine trial and the professor heading the team in Africa
The Big Clean Up
Whenever a Covid-19 case is confirmed at a shop, they call in the deep-cleaners. We find out exactly how they disinfect stores and supermarkets
I'm Back & Better!
Babes Wodumo shares what she’s been up to in lockdown – and there’s some new music on the horizon
Not An Easy Ride
Taxi commuters and industry players tell DRUM what’s driving them to defy lockdown rules
Mam' Mary Bows Out
Iconic actress Mary Twala is fondly remembered by friends and family for her humour and talent
‘They Lived For Each Other'
This Cape Town teen’s parents died from Covid-19 on the same day. Now she’s alone and battling the virus too
Stranger Than Fiction
For actor Mangaliso Ngema and his daughter Khosi Ngema, her role in Blood & Water was like watching their family’s real-life story unfold
I Was Raped By A Pastor
His accusations against a well-known man of the cloth turned an Eastern Cape man’s life into turmoil but now more victims have spoken out
My Fight With Life And Death
More Covid-19 patients, too few beds and staff, constant sanitising and personal fears – a Western Cape doctor shares her experience
I AM ENOUGH
Ten years after being set alight, Thembi Maphanga is living life to the fullest