‘We always knew Zephany would return’

The biological grandmother of Zephany Nurse says her mother always knew the kidnapped girl would return.

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Cape Town - The Cape Town Magistrate’s Court was packed on Tuesday when a Lavender Hill woman made an appearance for allegedly kidnapping newborn baby Zephany Nurse 18 years ago.

The woman, who cannot be named to protect the new identity of the child she raised as her own, faces charges of kidnapping, fraud and contravening the Children’s Act.

She allegedly took the baby, named Zephany by her biological parents, from the Groote Schuur hospital on March 30, 1997.

The baby was born by caesarean section to Celeste and Morne Nurse on March 28, 1997.

According to the indictment, the accused befriended the baby’s mother and “convinced her to hand over her daughter so that she could sleep”.

Staff later woke Celeste up to inform her that her baby daughter was missing.

Despite a nationwide search, the child was only found earlier this year, living close to her biological parents and attending the same school as her younger biological sister.

Her biological parents divorced several years ago, but both have attended the court appearances of the accused since her arrest in February.

On Tuesday, however, only Morne Nurse was present.

Marilyn Francis, the biological grandmother, and mother of Celeste Nurse, told ANA that her daughter “has flu, and is very busy at work, she must work to support her children”.

She said Zephany spent a lot of time with them and “is like my own daughter” and said “with us, she is very sweet”.

Francis described her granddaughter as a young 18-year-old: “She lies by me on my bed and I must stroke her hair.”

She said the teenager, who is in matric, was busy studying but had been with her biological family this week, and had even “spent several nights” with them.

Celeste and Morne had three other children after Zephany, and Francis said, “she gets along with her siblings very well, they click, especially the two sisters, they model in front of the mirror”.

Zephany’s younger biological sister started grade 8 at the same school as her this year, and the two struck up a friendship after being introduced because of their remarkable resemblance.

Her parents immediately thought it could be their kidnapped daughter, and informed police. Subsequent DNA tests confirmed that she was indeed their child, and the accused was arrested.

Francis says her daughter always believed “her baby would come back and always dreamt about it and then it happened. We should be grateful that God has given her back”.

She urged other parents of missing children to “hold on and believe they will be found”.a

The accused is currently out on bail of R5 000 and would not be allowed to have any contact with the child she raised as her own.

She faces charges of kidnapping, fraud and contravening the Children’s Act.

Magistrate Joe Magele transferred the case to the Western Cape High Court and ordered the accused to appear on November 27 for a pre-trial conference.

The trial has been set down for next year, February 22 and would run until March 10.

Outside court, Zephany’s father, Morne Nurse, told reporters “she loves us, but acceptance will take time, it won’t happen quickly”.

ANA