A baby of 11 months who vanished in a taxi was reunited with his overjoyed mother yesterday.
Police spokesman Lieutenant Nkosikho Mzuku said the baby, Ngcwele Tola, was found at Frere Hospital after Summerpride resident Felicity Gower read the story in yesterday’s Daily Dispatch and alerted police to his whereabouts.
She had arranged with the driver to wait for her while she shopped and take her home. However, when she returned the taxi had vanished. Tola said yesterday: “I am very happy and lucky to see my son again. I will never leave him in a taxi again.”
It emerged yesterday that the child had spent the first night of the new year at the Summerpride home of Gloria Majangaza, who runs the Amalinda Resurrection Support Centre for abused women and children.
Ngcwele was brought home by her 17-year-old daughter Siziphiwe.
The teen told the Dispatch she had known the driver of the maroon taxi since she was young.
“He was standing outside the Summerpride bottle store drinking with a chubby lady who was carrying a screaming baby when I saw them on my way to a shop,” she said. “When I greeted him the woman just said ‘Oh so you know this guy, here is a baby, the baby is now yours’.
“I thought it was a joke until the woman left. I asked the driver what was going on and he told me some woman had left a baby in his car.
“He said he only realised there was a baby in his car after she had gotten out and he had driven off. He said when he went back to look for the mother he could not find her.”
Majangaza said when her daughter arrived home with the baby she had called Gower, who is her neighbour. Gower said the baby had been screaming and was in “such a bad state”.
“We called the police and they advised that we take him for checkup at the hospital.
“We took him but he was later discharged because there were no social workers on call,” said Gower.
Ngcwele was finally admitted on Friday night and has been at Frere ever since.
Gower said she immediately called police when she saw yesterday’s front page Dispatch report because the mother’s comments matched those made by the taxi driver.
Mzuku said the child would be placed in the custody of Tola’s aunt until police investigations into the matter were complete.
“We are still looking for the taxi driver for questioning. We feel he might assist us in the investigation,” Mzuku said.
Acting CEO at Frere Dr James Thomas said the baby was brought in for safekeeping last week.
"Taxi baby" found in Frere ward
Police spokesman Lieutenant Nkosikho Mzuku said the baby, Ngcwele Tola, was found at Frere Hospital after Summerpride resident Felicity Gower read the story in yesterday’s Daily Dispatch and alerted police to his whereabouts.
She had arranged with the driver to wait for her while she shopped and take her home. However, when she returned the taxi had vanished. Tola said yesterday: “I am very happy and lucky to see my son again. I will never leave him in a taxi again.”
It emerged yesterday that the child had spent the first night of the new year at the Summerpride home of Gloria Majangaza, who runs the Amalinda Resurrection Support Centre for abused women and children.
Ngcwele was brought home by her 17-year-old daughter Siziphiwe.
The teen told the Dispatch she had known the driver of the maroon taxi since she was young.
“He was standing outside the Summerpride bottle store drinking with a chubby lady who was carrying a screaming baby when I saw them on my way to a shop,” she said. “When I greeted him the woman just said ‘Oh so you know this guy, here is a baby, the baby is now yours’.
“I thought it was a joke until the woman left. I asked the driver what was going on and he told me some woman had left a baby in his car.
“He said he only realised there was a baby in his car after she had gotten out and he had driven off. He said when he went back to look for the mother he could not find her.”
Majangaza said when her daughter arrived home with the baby she had called Gower, who is her neighbour. Gower said the baby had been screaming and was in “such a bad state”.
“We called the police and they advised that we take him for checkup at the hospital.
“We took him but he was later discharged because there were no social workers on call,” said Gower.
Ngcwele was finally admitted on Friday night and has been at Frere ever since.
Gower said she immediately called police when she saw yesterday’s front page Dispatch report because the mother’s comments matched those made by the taxi driver.
Mzuku said the child would be placed in the custody of Tola’s aunt until police investigations into the matter were complete.
“We are still looking for the taxi driver for questioning. We feel he might assist us in the investigation,” Mzuku said.
Acting CEO at Frere Dr James Thomas said the baby was brought in for safekeeping last week.
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