Keneilwe Shalaba, the 32-year-old woman accused of pocketing R75 000 from the sale of her two-year-old son last year, has reportedly given birth while in custody.
The highly expectant Shalaba appeared before the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court last Friday, where her bail plea was postponed to February 21.
It is not clear whether Shalaba, who is facing charges of human trafficking, conspiracy to commit an offence, and making a false statement to the police, will make her scheduled appearance due to her current condition.
Last week, Shalaba, who was arrested in November 2024 after falsely reporting her son’s kidnapping, told the court she was expecting twins and cited her pregnancy as one of the reasons she should be granted bail.
National prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Lumka Mahanjana, could neither confirm nor deny news that Shalaba had given birth in prison.
“Please speak to the Department of Correctional Services because this is a matter that can only be dealt with by the department and not the NPA as Ms Shalaba is an inmate,” she said.
Spokesperson for the Department of Correctional Service, Singabakho Nxumalo, also indicated that the department is not at liberty to disclose personal information of its inmates.
“The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) is not at liberty to disclose personal information regarding specific inmates, including childbirth or medical conditions. However, we do provide information on the number of infants in our facilities, though this does not extend to details about individual cases,” Nxumalo said.
Following her last appearance, the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) in the Vaal region and other community organisations publicly distanced themselves from the 32-year-old mother.
IOL reported that members of the community who picketed outside court called for Shalaba to be detained without bail due to the severity of her alleged crime.
Mamello Morobi, on behalf of the ANCWL, condemned Shalaba’s bail plea, saying: “We now have doubts as to what is she going to do with her unborn children. What needs to happen is that there should be no bail because we are not certain whether she will disappear with the children. Based on the report that the police had presented in court, we think her bail will be risky.”
SANCO regional chairperson, Nkosinathi Ndwandwe also slammed Shalaba and said: “SANCO is on record that it does not support human trafficking because it is not for the society and is also against the law. Selling kids for whatever reason is not acceptable because giving birth is a gift from God. Children are a gift from God; selling them is highly not acceptable and it is even unconstitutional in our country.”
Last week, the investigating officer probing the multiple charges against the 32-year-old, Sergeant George Motloung, said Shalaba acknowledged having received funds linked to her son’s disappearance.
Despite mounting pressure to disclose the whereabouts of her son, Shalaba has failed to do so.
“We managed to get her banking record. We know how much was deposited on the same day she alleged the child was kidnapped. R75 000 was deposited into her account on the same day she opened a kidnapping case,” Motloung said.