As the sun sets and temperatures drop, the mother of a two-year-old girl who was snatched from her grandmother’s bed in the early hours of Saturday wonders if her little girl has eaten or is warm and being taken care of properly.
Two-year-old Omphile Sethole was allegedly kidnapped early on Saturday morning from her home in Ga-Mabuela Village, near Mokopane in Limpopo.
Her grandmother had left her in bed when she went to the bathroom and on her return, the little girl was nowhere to be found.
Her emotional mother, Nompumelelo, struggled to explain her pain as she told Sunday Times that the past few days have been hard.
“I do not know how my child is doing, let alone know if she has eaten or is warm wherever she is. I am pleading with whoever took my baby to please return her”, she said.
She said she and her family are praying as police and the community intensified the search for Omphile.
“We are praying that she is found alive and unharmed. We don’t have the strength to do anything. Prayer is what keeps us going, although it is hard,” she said.
In the quest for answers, she has consulted a prophet, who told them that the child is safe and will return home anytime.
I would truly appreciate it if my granddaughter could be returned to us safely, because since her kidnapping we haven’t been able to rest.
— Vinolia Mabuela, grandmother of missing Omphile Sethole
“We are just a desperate family looking for the safe return of my child. We are hopeful that the words of the prophet will come to life,” she told Sunday Times.
According to police spokesperson Col Malesela Ledwaba, the grandmother woke up at about 6am and the child was missing and the bedroom window wide open.
Family members and neighbours conducted an immediate search of the area but did not locate the child.
The matter was then reported to authorities, who have since launched an extensive search operation.
The child’s grandmother, Vinolia Mabuela, said the family is having a difficult time and pleaded for the safe return of Omphile. She said the family could not think of anyone who could possibly be behind the kidnapping.
“I would truly appreciate it if my granddaughter could be returned to us safely, because since her kidnapping we haven’t been able to rest”, Mabuela said.
At the time of her disappearance, Omphile was wearing a pink jersey and black tights.
The police are appealing to the public to help with information on the whereabouts of Omphile and they are requested to contact the investigation officer Sgt Moshe Mashaba on 082 319 9447 or crime stop at 08600 10111.
Natasha Valoyi Valoyi
www.timeslive.co.za
