North West Mother Arrested for Selling Son, 2, Pregnant With Twins, Launches Latest Bail Bid

• A North West woman, charged with human trafficking after allegedly selling her child, has again appeared in court
• Keneilwe Shalaba, reportedly pregnant with twins, faces further perjury and conspiracy to commit robbery charges
• According to evidence, Shalaba received an amount of R75,000, on the day she reported Kutlwano missing to police

Tshepiso Mametela is a seasoned journalist at Briefly News. A Head of Current Affairs, Mametela reported live from the presidential inauguration of Cyril Ramaphosa and has written articles on politics, crime, courts, accidents and other topics, including sports, at The Herald and Opera News SA, among others.

VANDERBIJLPARK – Keneilwe Shalaba, a woman accused of selling her two-year-old child, Kutlwano, made her latest appearance in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, 12 January 2024, for a formal bail application.

Shalaba, 32, faces human trafficking and conspiracy to commit robbery after allegedly selling Kutlwano to unidentified people on 10 November 2024.

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Woman who sold child renews bail bid

She has also been charged with perjury after providing false information to the police about the toddler's disappearance.

This was after she reported a false case three days later, claiming unknown men had snatched the little boy and bundled him into a silver-grey VW Polo before driving off.

On Wednesday, it was revealed in court that Shalaba, who is pregnant, reportedly with twins, received an amount of R75,000, deposited into her bank account, on 13 November, the day she reported Kutlwano missing to police.

Investigations uncovered inconsistencies in her statement and police arrested her on 19 November. She then appeared in court, abandoning her bid for bail during her third appearance on 29 November.

She later renewed her bid and during her latest bail application on Wednesday, the prosecution told the court Shalaba had admitted to faking the kidnapping and tried to extort R40,000 from the child's father as part of a ruse.

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However, her lawyer said she denied the claims and would continue to refute them during the trial. The matter was postponed until 14 February for the defence to present its closing arguments.

Clips and photos of her court appearance on X showed a visibly pregnant Shalaba. The investigating officer, arguing for a bail denial, testified that the state had a strong case against Shalaba.

Kutlwano's whereabouts remain unknown, and police efforts to locate him are ongoing. Investigations have since indicated that they may have sold him.

Cops bust suspected human trafficking ring

In a related story, Briefly News reported that Gauteng police discovered 15 men chained and naked inside a Johannesburg property in a suspected human trafficking ring.

The men, all undocumented Ethiopian nationals, were found in a Sandringham home after law enforcement officials received a tip-off of suspicious activity at a house on Luster Road, on Friday, 10 January 2025.

Source: Briefly News