Three people accused of kidnapping the 6-year-old Amy Leigh De Jager in Vanderbijlpark earlier this month appeared in court on Thursday for a formal bail application.
A 27-year-old teacher Tharina Human who was a Grade RR teacher at Amy Leigh's school is accused of being the mastermind behind the kidnapping.
The 40-year-old Laetitia Nel and the 50-year-old Pieter van Zyl are her co-accused.
All three are being charged with kidnapping and extortion.
The investigating officer in the case Constable Clayton Motloung testified as the State's first witness in the bail application.
He gave the court a chronological time-line of the events leading up to the child's kidnapping and the suspects' subsequent arrest.
Motloung says on Monday the 2nd of September Amy Leigh's mom was on her way to school to drop off her two children when an African man came from behind, first grabbing her son, before pushing him aside and grabbing his sister.
He says the man then fled in a White Fortuner.
Motloung says shortly after 9 am Amy Leigh's father received a call from an African man on an unknown number asking for a ransom of R2 million.
The child's father immediately contacted SAPS who traced the number to Sebokeng, which is about 15 km outside the city.
Police searched in the area but could not spot the vehicle which was used in the commission of the crime.
He says they obtained the records of the phone number which led them to Nel's house where they found a similar car, parked in her garage.
Nel was questioned and police asked for her phone, which was not the one they were looking for.
Police officers left Nel's house just before 1 am and went back to the local police station. It is then, just 30 minutes later, when a couple found the child wandering at a nearby pub which is situated just a few kilometres from the Vanderbijlpark Magistrates court.
Motloung said they immediately roped in an intelligence team and the K9 unit to strategise their next move.
He told the court how officers went back to Nel's house to question her again and it was at this point where she confessed to being involved.
Nel told detectives that Human was the mastermind, moments before being arrested.
Police also arrested van Zyl, who lived only a few houses away from Nel.
van Zyl only had a bed in his house and no other furniture and he had bags of clothing already packed, and a firearm was also confiscated.
He assisted police in providing them with the phone, which was used to make the ransom demand.
According to police the unknown African man, lived on the same premises as van Zyl and his only involvement in the kidnapping was to grab the child and make the ransom call. He has still not been arrested.
Teacher's arrest
Motloung says they now proceeded to the teacher's house who was at home with her 8-year-old daughter.
When police confronted her with the allegations she told them that she owed a Nigerian man some money who threatened to steal her child, as he could get a lot of money for her.
Human and Nel were both seen shaking their heads in court whilst Motloung gave his testimony.
Amy-Leigh's kidnapping was a last-minute plan
Motloung told the court that they have a State witness who will testify how Human initially wanted her co-accused to kidnap her, in the hope that her family would come up with the money that she needs. A second plan was discussed to kidnap one of her family members but eventually on Sunday, the night before the kidnapping, Human suggested taking Amy Leigh.
The bail hearing continues
News24 brought an application to have proceedings live-streamed and the information was obtained, courtesy of this live stream
