Abduction Saga
| What the Nurse family hoped would be a joyous reunion has brought disunity and stress
NO INTERVIEWS: Morné Nurse, Zephany’s biological father, outside the high court GIVING HER SPACE: Zephra Nurse says Zephany, her biological granddaughter, is going through a traumatic time questions sent to her.
According to the prosecution in the kidnapping case, the woman snatched two-dayold Zephany from Groote Schuur Hospital on April 30 1997. She has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping, fraud and contravention of the Children’s Act.
The state closed its case on Thursday after her 35-page the Department of Home Affairs. “Kidnapping a child who did not belong to me is not in my nature,” the woman said in her plea explanation.
“I had on occasions thought about telling [ my husband] and Zephany about the adoption, but they had a very close relationship and I did not want to destroy it. As we grew close it became harder to tell them the truth.”
The trial continues tomorrow, when the woman — who cannot be named to protect Zephany’s identity — will take the stand in her own defence.
Meanwhile, Western Cape police are searching for a 10day-old baby who was stolen from Worcester Hospital during visiting hours at about 7pm on Thursday.
In another incident, police in Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape arrested a 28-year-old woman for allegedly kidnapping a newborn baby.
The baby was reportedly taken from her 17-year-old mother “on the pretext that the woman would administer care while the mother was buying milk at the store”.
This drama has disrupted her life, she couldn’t write her matric exams
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