Social Development Minister, Sharna Fernandez, has called for an investigation into the bogus social worker who kidnapped a two-month-old baby in Parow last week.
Cops launched a manhunt for the woman who snatched tiny Kwahlelo Tiwane from his mother last Thursday.
The child’s mother, Kwahlelwa Tiwane, 29, from Khayelistha, says Kwahlelo is a twin and she had gone with the woman to her “office” in Parow after she was promised a R1000 food voucher.
She says the woman came to her house on several occasions and she did not expect foul play, reports the Cape Argus.
“I never suspected anything because she had visited other families and came to us more than three times before the incident, including the other day when we went to Mitchells Plain to do an affidavit which we later did not do but instead made copies of the babies documents,” she said.
The mother says they took a taxi to Parow and the woman held Kwahlelo and told her she was going to run an errand at the post office but never returned.
“I called her twice and after not picking up, I panicked. After some time, she sent an SMS saying I should go back home, she will keep the baby until our situation at home has improved and I never heard from her again.”
Fernandez says: “We are in the process of investigating how someone was allegedly able to call themselves a social worker and remove the child from the mother.
“I would like to alert all members of the public that all social workers appointed by the department can be recognised with the Western Cape Government name-tag, which should be worn at all times.”