North West Woman Accused of Selling Child, 2, Denied Bail After Giving Birth Behind Bars

• Keneilwe Shalaba, the North West woman accused of selling her two-year-old child, Kutlwano, has given birth to twins
• Shalaba, who faces several charges, appeared in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate's Court for her bail judgement
• The state opposed bail, outlining several reasons, including Shalaba's interference with witnesses, and remanded

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 — The North West woman accused of selling her two-year-old son for R75,000 has given birth while in custody. Keneilwe Shalaba, who renewed her bail bid in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate's Court, delivered twins at a women's prison on Wednesday, 19 February 2025.

Keneilwe Shalaba gives birth in prison

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Shalaba, 32, stood in the dock on Friday for a judgment in her formal bail application, which the state concluded a week earlier on 14 February.

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

In a statement to the police three days later, she claimed men driving a silver-grey VW Polo had kidnapped the child, bundled him into the car and drove off.

Shalaba received R75,000 into her bank account the same day with a subsequent investigation disputing her kidnapping claim.

She later confessed to fabricating the story. Police arrested her on 19 November and Shalaba has remained in custody. Meanwhile, Kutlwano's whereabouts remain unknown and efforts to locate him are ongoing.

"During her bail application, she told the court that she is a first time offender," said Gauteng National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana.

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"She stated that she could not maintain her [other] children, and had not received good medical care while in custody. She insisted she had cooperated with the police and would not evade trial [if released] as she wanted to find her missing child."

Despite this, the prosecution denied Shalaba's bail request. The prosecutor argued that she might interfere with investigations, as she had already contacted a state witness, adding she could potentially endanger her other children.

Magistrate Michael Tlale, in handing down his verdict, agreed with the state's case, saying the accused did not provide a plausible reason for conditional release and that granting bail would not be in the interest of justice.

The case was postponed until 7 April for further investigation.

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Source: Briefly News