A 23-year-old mum has been left in total despair, shedding tears of regret after she allegedly sold her eight-month-old baby on Facebook Marketplace. This mum, whose identity remains undisclosed, is now facing charges related to child trafficking for the reported exchange that took place in October.
According to the claims, she swapped digits with another woman over social media and chatted her up before they met at Soshanguve Plaza just a stone’s throw from Pretoria, South Africa, where the mum handed over her little boy to the woman who then disappeared off in a cab.
Living in Mabopane nearby, she apparently had a sudden change of heart about her actions, pining for her son a mere seven days later, reports the Mirror.
Yet, the alleged buyer wasn’t playing ball about returning the tot. Facing tough times financially is what led the mum to give away her baby, she reportedly told South African news source SNL24.
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(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“I regret everything I did,” she mourned, admitting, “I did that out of desperation. I was struggling financially to raise my baby. I’m not OK. I want my baby. I love my baby.”
She continued to reveal details: “The woman lives near Orange Farm in Joburg (Johannesburg). The last time I spoke to her, I told her I was afraid of being arrested. I want to tell that woman that what I did was wrong. I shouldn’t have taken that route.
The regretful mum also reflected, “I should have taken my baby to social workers. I spent almost two weeks in prison and it’s not a good place to be. There’s no freedom in prison. I was eating two times a day.”
The woman’s 25 year old boyfriend, from Soshanguve, insisted the kid was his but doubted the sale claim, saying: “She didn’t have money to take care of the baby. I wasn’t living with her when this happened. I thought she had sent the baby to her family.”
Guateng police spokesperson Captain Tintswalo announced, “A case of child trafficking was opened on 19 October. The suspect, the mother of the child, was arrested the same day and she appeared in the Ga-Rankuwa Magistrates Court on 21 October.”
North West National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesman Sivenathi Gunya revealed: “It’s alleged that she advertised her child for sale on Facebook Marketplace and some woman showed interest, took the child and promised to give the mother R1 000 monthly until she is back on her feet again. But she hasn’t paid the money and can’t be traced.”
The mum’s been released on bail, with the hearing deferred to February 6 next year.