The court provisional withdrew the case after the investigating office did not attend court.

Patience Matsaa of Boitekong was arrested on July 20 after she allegedly kidnapped a two-day-old baby at the Job Shimankane Provincial Hospital.

The baby was born on July 19, at Job Shimankane Tabane Provincial Hospital in Rustenburg. Both the mother and the child were discharged from hospital on July 20, while they were waiting for their transport outside the hospital.

Matsaa allegedly approached the mother. She congratulated the mother for having a new born and offered her R23 to buy food.

The woman, 31, then handed over her new born to Matsaa so that she can get back to the hospital shop to buy food.

When she returned, both the baby and Matsaa had disappeared. She alerted the hospital staff who then called Rustenburg police.

The police traced her to the Sondela informal settlement where she was arrested and charged with kidnapping. She was released on R1000 bail at her first court appearance on July 21.

Her case was postponed to August 21, when she took the stand on Friday, the prosecutor told the court that the investigating officer could not attend court. The case was provisionally withdrawn.

ANA