Court Hears Community Fears in Chilling Baby Abduction Case

In a case that has shocked the Western Cape, the Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court this week heard harrowing testimony as it considers whether to grant bail to a woman accused of abducting a nine-day-old baby. The courtroom became a battleground between constitutional rights and public safety, as community fears and legal complexities collided.

Sameemah Jacobs, a first-time offender, faces serious charges after allegedly kidnapping baby Mogamat Imaad Sharmar from his mother, Imaan Sharmar (also known as Britney Brandt), during a staged support group event in Bellville on 28 June. The group, supposedly part of the “Zoey Project,” turned out to be a front for what police describe as a calculated plan.

Jacobs was found two days later in possession of the baby, who was thankfully unharmed after tip-offs from the community led authorities to her.

But while the child was rescued safely, the trauma lingers for his mother, and concern has deepened across the community.

“She Knows Where We Live”

For Sharmar, the mere possibility of Jacobs being released on bail is terrifying.

“She knows where I live. She knows where my daughter goes to crèche,” she said outside court. “She could show up dressed as someone else and say I sent her. This fear has taken over again.”

Sharmar’s concerns echo those of her neighbors, many of whom signed a petition drafted by Veranique “Benji” Williams, founder of Faith and Hope Missing Persons. The petition supported by a memorandum was submitted to the court to oppose Jacobs’s release.

A Community Divided

While Jacobs’s lawyer, Asangezwa Mafuya of Legal Aid, argued that she was not a flight risk, citing her stable home, car, and seven-year-old child, state witness Sergeant Dawid Fortuin from the Serious and Violent Crimes Kidnapping Unit painted a more troubling picture.

According to Fortuin, Jacobs not only deceived the baby’s mother through disguise and false pretenses but also used multiple identities. He suggested she may be linked to another ongoing case involving a 15-year-old girl, where the same phone number was used.

“There’s no guarantee she won’t do it again,” Fortuin warned the court. “She disguised herself once, house arrest won’t stop her from doing it again.”

He dismissed a counter-petition submitted by Jacobs’s defence, which contained 111 signatures from Eerste River, Heideveld and Manenberg residents supporting her release, arguing it lacked credible representation of the broader public.

The Legal Debate: Children’s Rights on Both Sides

A key element of the bail debate has been the constitutional rights of Jacobs’s own child. Magistrate G Ndaleni invoked Section 28 of the Constitution, which enshrines the best interests of the child in this case, Jacobs’s seven-year-old as paramount.

“She is a first-time offender. Has it been proven that the accused would endanger the public?” Ndaleni asked in court.

But Fortuin stressed that baby Imaad’s rights are just as important.

“He’s a victim, too. He deserves to be protected,” he said.

Delays and Doubts

The hearing was postponed after Mafuya asked for more time to finalise Jacobs’s affidavit in support of bail, a move that drew frustration from the magistrate.

“It doesn’t take long to produce one,” Ndaleni said, visibly unimpressed.

As the case continues, the court faces mounting pressure to strike a balance between legal principles and public trust. For Sharmar and many others, the outcome will determine not only justice, but peace of mind.

The matter resumes on 23 July, when further bail arguments will be heard.

{Source: IOL}

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