Eastern Cape Health MEC Nomakhosazana Meth has commended the Dora Nginza Hospital staff members for their vigilance which led to the recovery of a baby boy who was abducted from a Gqeberha mall.
She praised Social Worker Portia Marinana and senior administration officer Kaamiela Eagle for the diligence which led to the breakthrough after the four-day-old child disappeared with a young woman from the Kenako Mall in November 2022.
She had pretended to have been sent to help her with the child and accompanied the mother to the mall to buy clothes before disappearing with the baby.
In a statement on Sunday, MEC Meth provided details of the work carried out by the Dora Nginza staffers after their suspicions were raised on 23 June, 2023, when an elderly couple arrived at Marinana’s office requesting assistance with a birth certificate for who they thought was their grandson.
The couple claimed "their grandson" was born at Dora Nginza Hospital on 26 November 2022, and following protocol Marinana requested that they provide the baby’s “Road to Health booklet to confirm the child’s place of birth, and that the baby was born at the facility.
MEC Meth said Marinana became suspicious when she noticed discrepancies with the details inside the booklet, and on the discharge summary.
She said the original patient‘s details were erased with a correction pen, and the new patient’s details filled in with a pen and in a different handwriting.
When the elderly couple returned on 27 June for a pre-arranged meeting, the “grandparents" provided documents that raised their suspicions even further, and it was later decided that further investigation was necessary.
This led them to conduct a visit to the New Brighton home of 33-year-old birth mother, Nonceo Jali, who’s details were on the hospital system and who informed them that her child had been abducted.
“After assuring the family that their baby had been found, the social worker explained the legal processes that will be followed before reuniting the biological mother and her baby.
The baby boy has since been reunited with his mother and 20-year-old Amahle Sigam in custody for the abduction.
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MEC Meth said; “Pockets of excellence are found throughout the province at different facilities. They are an example to all of us. We want more of our staff to display the same level of caring that was shown by these two great worker.”
