A South African mom who is on trial for allegedly selling her two-year-old son gave birth to another child while in police custody.
According to Sowetan Live, Keneilwe Shalaba recently pleaded with the Vanderbijlpark magistrate’s court to release her on bail because she was pregnant with twins and prison conditions were not good for her health.
Shalaba also told the court that she should be granted bail since her other two children were being cared for by relatives, and she was dissatisfied with the care one of them was receiving.
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She claimed that her six-year-old daughter, who is now in the care of her sister, was not being properly cared for.
“I am self-employed; I generate income for the children to cover their needs. Since I got arrested, [her child], who is being taken care of by my sister, is not being [well] taken care of.
“The child does not get clothes; school fees are not being paid… the child’s father has indicated that he will not be doing anything any longer. If I am released, I will be able to provide for the children,” she said last month.
Shalaba was arrested in November 2024 for allegedly trafficking her son, Kutlwano Shalaba, and then lying to police about a kidnapping.
She faces charges of human trafficking, conspiracy to commit robbery and making a false statement to the police. Shalaba informed the court in February that she will plead not guilty to the accusations.
Meanwhile, sources say that the 32-year-old woman gave birth to a child in late February.
“We learned of the news sometime last week [this week]. We were informed that Keneilwe’s judgment wouldn’t proceed because she had given birth,” the source said to citizen.co.za.
The news platform contacted the Department of Correctional Services about the situation; spokeswoman Singabakho Nxumalo stated, “The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) is not at liberty to disclose personal information regarding specific inmates, including childbirth or medical conditions However, we do provide information on the number of infants in our facilities, though this does not extend to details about individual cases.”
Meanwhile, the State contested her application, and police raised more questions about the safety of the unborn children.
The mother of four is still being held at the Sun City Correctional Center along with her infant child as of February 23.
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