Dear Editor
The DA welcomes the swift action taken by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Durban which led to finding one-month-old baby Siwaphiwe Mbambo alive and well after she was kidnapped in a hijacking at a Durban shopping centre on Friday.
Baby Siwaphiwe was found in the early hours of Sunday morning after police intercepted a vehicle near Mariannhill Toll Plaza – two days after frantic searches by police and community members.
The kidnapping during a hi-jacking highlights the crisis of rising trio crimes – carjacking, house robbery and business robbery – and the DA reiterates our call for SAPS to ensure that Crime Intelligence functions more effectively to address this.
The DA welcomes the arrest of three suspects and trusts that a full investigation will take place.
After a hijack took place on Friday afternoon, the police appealed to the Durban community to come forward with any information which may have led to the recovering of baby Siwaphiwe and subsequent arrest of the suspects. SAPS offered a reward of R250 000 and deployed over 100 police officers, community volunteers and sniffer dogs to assist in the search.
The DA has for a long time emphasised that combatting crimes in our communities requires collective efforts between SAPS and community members and baby Siwaphiwe’s case is a classic example of what that collaboration can achieve.
Regards
Zakhele Mbhele MP
DA Shadow Minister of Police
