7th Avenue baby reunited with her mother
"The police did an overwhelming job. They kept coming back to visit and they really showed that they cared."
Just over a month since a baby was found walking 7th Street alone and after intense efforts by Roodepoort Police, the mother was finally located. Ntombikayise Mehlo was dramatically reunited with her daughter, Sinegugu Mehlo, on Saturday 18 January.
A friend told Ntombikayise about an article she had seen in the 11 January edition of Roodepoort Record, in which it was reported that a child had been found alone and that information about the parents was being sought. Ntombikayise was startled when she saw a photo of her daughter, as she was under the assumption that Sinegugu was with her father.
Read the initial article here:
https://roodepoortrecord.co.za/2019/12/19/baby-girl-found-alone-on-a-street-in-roodepoort/
The father collected the little girl on 15 December to take her to Zimbabwe to visit his family but on 18 December, Sinegugu was found walking alone on 7th Avenue in Roodepoort. In the subsequent weeks Ntombikayise made several attempts to call her daughter but Sinegugu’s father always had an excuse as to why she could not speak to her, all the while assuring Ntombikayise that Sinegugu was safely with him.
Having last spoken to the baby’s father on 4 January, Ntombikayise began to worry as he was no longer taking her calls. All the while, living in Tshepisong and believing her daughter was in the care of her father in a different country, she was in fact less than 15 kilometres away. Since her alleged abandonment, the 18-month-old baby had been in the loving care of St Laurence’s Children’s Haven in Discovery.
Taking care of Sinegugu were Abigail Branders and Elizabeth Mooki, among others. While Elizabeth is happy that Sinegugu is going home with her mother, she feels a small sense of loss. “I am sad that she is leaving, she was my baby. She is such a fun little girl and I am going to miss her.” Abigail, one of the senior figures at St Laurence Children’s Haven, agreed saying, “She is a lovely little girl and it is so good to have a happy ending”.
Roodepoort Police and one officer in particular, Captain Sonja Prinsloo, were personally invested in the situation. Captain Prinsloo created flyers for distribution around Roodepoort and visited Sinegugu regularly. “I am just so happy her mother has been found,” she said after facilitating the reunion. Abigail also gave thanks saying, “The police did an overwhelming job. They kept coming back to visit and they really showed that they cared.”
The father, whose name is known to police, has yet to make contact with Ntombikayise, but she is simply grateful that her little girl is back safely with her. Captain Prinsloo reiterated the police’s dedication to service, pleading, “Please do not be afraid of the police. If you have information we will always look for lost children, no matter what.”
