By: Natasha Archary
A Meyersdal mother has opened a case of attempted kidnapping against a Spar supermarket employee. This after the employee picked up her baby from her shopping trolley and was caught walking away with the child.
The incident took place at the Meyersdal Super Spar in Alberton on Sunday, 21 August. CCTV footage was supplied to the mother who shared the harrowing experience to social media to create awareness for other parents.
In the video the mother puts her baby down in the trolley as she shops, and bends down to select a few items from the fridge section.
The spar employee, Mduduzi Godfrey Thobela, approaches the baby and takes her out of the trolley, walking away from the mother with her child.
Describing the ordeal as a parent’s worst nightmare, the mother said she was shocked when she looked up and noticed her daughter was missing from her trolley. She immediately looked around and found her daughter in the arms of the employee.
“I have her in my arms, and when I get to the meat section, I place her in the trolley to free up my hands. I find what I’m looking for and bend down.
Within an instant, the employee takes my daughter out of my trolley. I look up, and she’s gone. I immediately look for her and find her in the arms of this man.
I’m able to grab her from him and say, what is he doing with my daughter? Why does he have her?He is smiling and laughing, telling me he walked past the trolley and my daughter’s arms were up, so he picked her up. I am frozen and confused. Why is he laughing? Behind me is another staff member, also laughing.
I keep saying this is not funny. You don’t touch a child, you don’t take a child. This isn’t a joke, and I don’t find it amusing.”
A Meyersdal mother recounts the moment a supermarket employee took her child out of her trolley
The Meyersdal Spar has since suspended the employee and have assisted the mother with a copy of the CCTV footage. Thobela was arrested and appeared in court on Tuesday, 23 August to face charges of attempted kidnapping.
He is expected back in court on 15 September. The mother said she was shocked at the man’s boldness as he laughed when she confronted him and asked where he was taking her baby.
She said it would have been a different situation had he asked her if he could pick up the baby and hold her while she shopped.
“The fact that he saw me preoccupied and decided he’s going to snatch her and walk away with her, is what I can’t ignore. You don’t pick up a child without the parent’s permission.”
The video has since been shared to social media to bring awareness to other parents to always watch their children while they shop, especially if they are in the trolley.
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