A 37-year-old woman from Tafelsig appeared in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court this week, accused of kidnapping a newborn baby from a busy shopping mall. She was arrested during a police raid on Monday, 30 June 2025, two days after the child disappeared.
Tafelsig woman accused of kidnapping newborn launches bail bid
The accused, identified as Sameemah Jacobs, is facing charges of kidnapping and defeating the administration of justice. These charges are serious in South African law, especially when the victim is a baby.
The state is opposing Jacobs’ bail at this stage. This means the prosecution does not want her to be released from custody while she waits for her trial. In South African courts, when the state opposes bail, they usually argue that the accused might run away, interfere with witnesses, or commit more crimes.
Jacobs is expected to argue that she should be released under strict conditions.
However, because of the nature of the case and the strong public interest, it’s unclear whether the court will allow it.
What happened at the mall?
According to evidence presented in court, Jacobs allegedly approached the baby’s mother, 25-year-old Imaan Sharmar, with a story about a workshop meant to help young mothers.
Believing the woman’s intentions were good, Sharmar agreed to meet her at Middestad Mall in Bellville.
Sharmar told SABC News that on their way to the mall, Jacobs offered her a cold drink, which may have been spiked. Once at the mall, Sharmar began to feel unwell and went to the bathroom, temporarily leaving her baby with the suspect.
When she returned, both Jacobs and the baby were gone.
Investigators believe Jacobs used an e-hailing taxi service to leave the area. A multi-disciplinary police team traced her to her home in Tafelsig, where the baby was found unharmed and returned to his family.
Director of children’s rights organisation Molo Songololo, Patric Solomons, said the kidnapping could have connections to deeper social issues or even human trafficking.
“The big question is, why do people take babies?” he said, pointing to past cases where women abducted babies due to personal trauma, such as miscarriages, or to maintain family relationships.
Solomons added that some cases are even more complex, involving family dynamics or pressures.
“We have also had a case where the grandmother took a baby to give to her daughter so that the marriage could be saved,” he explained.
Outside the courtroom, the baby’s mother said she became emotional and angry when she saw Jacobs in the dock.
The bail hearing is set to continue as Jacobs seeks release from custody. For now, she remains behind bars while the court weighs the facts and the risks of letting her out.
