Two little children whose homeless mom was killed in a hit and run incident have been reunited with their family in what has been called a Christmas miracle.
The kids, a one-year-old boy and five-year-old girl, were found thanks to the power of social media, after someone had posted a
picture of the little boy in a hospital gown on Facebook.
On 16 November at about 6am, mom of four Annastasia Benjamin, 34, was hit by an unidentified car in Strand Street, Cape Town.
Her little boy Giano, who was with her, was injured and taken to hospital.
RECOGNISED: Baby Giano, 1
The boy sustained cracked ribs and a gash to the head, but is recovering well.
At the time, her daughter Mikayla was with a friend, who also lives on the street.
Annastasia did not have any form of identification on her, and a post about their plight went viral on Western Cape Gangwatch’s Facebook page, where a friend of the boy’s father spotted his photo and alerted the family.
Annastasia’s sister, Cheryl Benjamin, then made contact with the Western Cape Missing Persons Unit, who took her to the morgue to identify her sister’s body.
WCMPU CEO Candice van der Rheede took Cheryl to see the little boy in hospital, and there learnt that Annastasia also has a little girl.
Van der Rheede says a search was immediately launched for the girl, who they found last week in the CBD with her mother's female friend.
Cheryl says Annastasia’s two older children, aged 15 and 12, live with their father, while her youngest two will now be raised by her.
NEW HOME: Daughter Mikayla
Cheryl, 44, from Valhalla Park, claims Annastasia had run away from her son’s dad.
“The father of her baby was abusive and the morning she went missing, about three weeks ago, he had beaten her up again,” she says.
“She came here and then she left. We did not hear from her again. It is very sad to lose my sister this way."
Cheryl, a mother of four herself, says she raised both her sisters after their mother died and now she will take care of her little niece and nephew.
“The baby is still in hospital, but we hope he can come home soon and we will love him and take care of him.”
DEAD: Annastasia.
Van der Rheede said it was a traumatic time for the kids and it’s a “Christmas miracle” they were found unharmed.
“Annastasia was in crisis and struggled with drug addiction. Her little ones will be safe with the family and we wish them well,” she says.