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Crime Reporter 

Police over the weekend managed to locate and bring back into the country from South Africa, a one-year-old baby boy who was kidnapped last December by a woman from Ushewokunze suburb in Harare.

The suspect who has been identified as Fortunate Tanyanyiwa has since gone into hiding in South Africa and police, working with Interpol are still looking for her.

Detectives from CID Homicide travelled to Polokwane, South Africa last Wednesday with the boy’s mother, Yvonne Machingo (21) and reunited the two following investigations.

Machingo, who also resides in Ushewokunze, approached Tanyanyiwa, alias Mai Tatenda, sometime in December last year saying she wanted to be led to a traditional healer who could attend to her then six-month-old baby who was not feeling well.

It is alleged that on December 12, 2020, the two went to Block 11, Shawasha Flats in Mbare where a traditional healer could assist Machingo.

Machingo was ordered to stay outside while Tanyanyiwa went with the child inside the healer’s house, but she never returned. After a few hours, Machingo tried to locate her, but to no avail.

She even tried calling, but her phone was switched off and a report was made to the police. Police failed to locate Tanyanyiwa.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the development saying the matter was handled by CID Homicide.

“The detectives later got information that she (Tanyanyiwa) was living with a certain man who she alleged was her husband at a farm in Louis Tritchard, South Africa and detectives approached officers from Interpol in the neighbouring country in April this year.

“When the detectives and officers went to the farm, they discovered that she had abandoned the baby and fled after getting information that the net was closing in on her.

“Her whereabouts are still not known,” he said.

The baby was then taken to Polokwane for safekeeping before the detectives started to process all the documents needed for repatriation.

Machingo and her baby arrived in the country on Sunday. Cases of child kidnapping have been on the increase in the country.

In October last year, a Harare woman, Miriam Bwanali, allegedly kidnapped a child at Montagu shopping centre in Harare’s Avenues area.

The mother of the missing child, Shani Charamanda (30) was on her way from Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals when she met Bwanali who offered to accompany her to Montagu Spar.

Upon arrival at Montagu, Charamanda gave her daughter to the unidentified woman while she went into a supermarket.

When she came out of the shop 15 minutes later, Bwanali had disappeared with the child, her wallet containing a Nokia mobile phone, US$2 and $45. 

Bwanali is still at large and believed to have fled to South Africa after police arrested her husband, Gift Chemhuru (40) of Motsi Village under Chief Chirau in Zvimba. 

Chemhuru has since appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Judith Taruvinga facing kidnapping charges.

Police have engaged the Interpol to assist in tracking down Bwanali.