The Mozambiquan nanny who allegedly kidnapped a three-year-old Mdantsane girl has indicated she will plead guilty to child trafficking charges, attempting to extort money and leaving the country without a valid passport.
Legal Aid defence attorney Ncumisa Dyantyi yesterday told presiding magistrate Eugene Moss in the Mdantsane Regional Court that the woman would plead guilty to all charges.
Moss postponed the matter to September 29 for the guilty plea. The woman was remanded in custody.
She cannot be identified as she has not yet formally pleaded to the charges.
Both the Hawks and the Department of Home Affairs yesterday said they were still trying to find out how the woman had crossed the border between South Africa and Mozambique with three-year-old Perfect Gift Msesiwe.
Home Affairs spokesman Mayihlome Tshwete yesterday said: “There is a possibility that she left the country through an unmanned port of entry. We are still trying to verify that and this is what our new visa legislation tries to combat.
“We are also able to hold our officials accountable when we ask who signed off the papers to let the woman and child through. With the old legislation, children could easily go in and out of the country.”
Tshwete said the department was doing all it could to minimise harm to children caused by trafficking.
“The question is not really if any other child is going to be trafficked outside of the country or not, the question is what is the department doing to minimise these incidents and in our case we have already started doing something about it,” Tshwete said.
Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said theirs was an ongoing investigation: “How she left the country is still part of the investigation but obviously she was assisted.”
The woman was hired as a nanny in July by Mdantsane couple – Siyabonga and Zolelwa Msesiwe – to look after their daughters.
She disappeared with the child after two weeks and later demanded a R500000 ransom for her safe return.
Police were brought in to investigate and tracked the woman to Vosloorus in the East Rand where she was arrested on Friday September 4.
Mulaudzi said she was arrested while posing as a job seeker.
The toddler was rescued in a village near Maputo in Mozambique on Monday September 7.
The woman first appeared in the Vosloorus Magistrate’s Court before being transported to the Eastern Cape.
The Msesiwes were not in court during her appearance yesterday.
Called for comment, Zolelwa said: “I am happy that she is not denying anything. I’m very grateful that she will admit to everything that she did because this will save the family and the state a great deal of time.
“We were also not looking for this matter to drag where we will be called up and down because she is denying certain things and blaming us for her own actions.” — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
Nanny to plead guilty to kidnap
Legal Aid defence attorney Ncumisa Dyantyi yesterday told presiding magistrate Eugene Moss in the Mdantsane Regional Court that the woman would plead guilty to all charges.
Moss postponed the matter to September 29 for the guilty plea. The woman was remanded in custody.
She cannot be identified as she has not yet formally pleaded to the charges.
Both the Hawks and the Department of Home Affairs yesterday said they were still trying to find out how the woman had crossed the border between South Africa and Mozambique with three-year-old Perfect Gift Msesiwe.
Home Affairs spokesman Mayihlome Tshwete yesterday said: “There is a possibility that she left the country through an unmanned port of entry. We are still trying to verify that and this is what our new visa legislation tries to combat.
“We are also able to hold our officials accountable when we ask who signed off the papers to let the woman and child through. With the old legislation, children could easily go in and out of the country.”
Tshwete said the department was doing all it could to minimise harm to children caused by trafficking.
“The question is not really if any other child is going to be trafficked outside of the country or not, the question is what is the department doing to minimise these incidents and in our case we have already started doing something about it,” Tshwete said.
Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said theirs was an ongoing investigation: “How she left the country is still part of the investigation but obviously she was assisted.”
The woman was hired as a nanny in July by Mdantsane couple – Siyabonga and Zolelwa Msesiwe – to look after their daughters.
She disappeared with the child after two weeks and later demanded a R500000 ransom for her safe return.
Police were brought in to investigate and tracked the woman to Vosloorus in the East Rand where she was arrested on Friday September 4.
Mulaudzi said she was arrested while posing as a job seeker.
The toddler was rescued in a village near Maputo in Mozambique on Monday September 7.
The woman first appeared in the Vosloorus Magistrate’s Court before being transported to the Eastern Cape.
The Msesiwes were not in court during her appearance yesterday.
Called for comment, Zolelwa said: “I am happy that she is not denying anything. I’m very grateful that she will admit to everything that she did because this will save the family and the state a great deal of time.
“We were also not looking for this matter to drag where we will be called up and down because she is denying certain things and blaming us for her own actions.” — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
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