A 32-year-old South African woman has been charged with selling her two-year-old son and has given birth to another child in custody.
Keneilwe Portia Shabala allegedly sold her son Kutlwano to an unknown person for R75,000 on November 10, 2024.
She appeared in the Vanderby Parker Magistrate Court on Monday, February 24, 2025 and was denied bail for suspected trafficking in persons, conspiracy to rob and make false statements to the police.
On November 13, 2024, Keneilwe, who recently gave birth to a second child, allegedly reported a false case to police, claiming that her son was kidnapped by an unknown man in the car.
During the police investigation, the kidnapping claim was found to be false.
The woman later admitted to fabricating the story. She was subsequently arrested on November 19, 2024 and has been in custody since her arrest.
The whereabouts of the child are still unknown and police efforts to find him are underway.
During the bail application, the defendant testified and told the court that she was the first offender, and that she was nine months pregnant and she did not receive good medical treatment.
She added that she worked with police and the detention center was unable to protect her children.
Additionally, she said she would not escape from trial because she wanted to find the missing child.
However, state attorney Cornelle Grobler opposed the bail application and said the defendant could interfere with the investigation because she had contacted a state witness.
Additionally, she said the defendant posed a danger to her children because they could suffer the same fate as the missing children. In addition, she said the defendant received the necessary medical care in the pregnant ward and would not be the first woman to be in fertility incarcerated.
When the judgment was made, District Judge Micheal Tlale agreed to the state and said he believes the state has a large lawsuit against the defendant.
He added that the defendant did not question the stage of the kidnapping, and she told a witness that the father told the child to be with the child so that he could pay a ransom of Rs 75,000.
Additionally, he said the defendant did not provide any reasonable reason why she should be released on bail. Pregnancy and partly medical enrollment are not enough to ensure she is released on bail.
