Baby Siwaphiwe - DNA testing to determine identity of kidnapped baby

The paternity of kidnapped baby Siwaphiwe Mbambo was thrust into the spotlight as her mother S'bongile and her secret lover‚ Phumlani Mbokazi‚ appeared in the Durban Magistrate's Court on Monday.

The court heard that DNA testing would be conducted to determine the identity of the one-month-old girl's father.

Mbambo‚ whose face was concealed with a scarf and Mbokazi‚ in a formal blue jacket‚ faced ranks of cameras in the packed court gallery.

Missing was a third person who was arrested with Mbokazi‚ as he was returning the child to Durban between midnight and 1am on Sunday morning near the Mariannhill Toll Plaza.

The woman was not charged.

Siwaphiwe was kidnapped on Friday in what police are now saying was a staged hijacking.

S'bongile had told police that she and her eight-year-old son had been forced out of their white Toyota Yaris at gunpoint by two "hijackers" near the City View shopping centre in Greyville.

• The mother, her boyfriend, and his other girlfriend - the 'abduction' of Siwaphiwe MbamboA secret love affair lies at the heart of the abduction of baby Siwaphiwe Mbambo‚ which culminated in her being found after two nights with her kidnappers‚ a high-speed car chase - and the arrest of her mother. 

The search spawned the hashtag #BringBackDurbanBaby as South Africans shared their dismay at a baby being kidnapped‚ and led to a massive police operation involving officers‚ vehicles and even aircraft.

The recovery of the car hours later‚ undamaged with only the baby and her nappy-bag missing‚ had fuelled the doubts of seasoned detectives who were roped in to find her.

The Times learnt that the missing baby had been holed away at a house in New Hanover in central KwaZulu-Natal for nearly 48 hours.

• Timeline: How police saved baby SiwaphiweAs police officers sharpen their gaze on who masterminded the abduction of baby Siwaphiwe Mbambo‚ they are expected to examine in precise detail each development in the saga of her disappearance. 

While search parties combed bush and roadside scrub across Durban‚ Siwaphiwe had been ferreted away to the distant farming community.

Two independent police sources‚ with intimate knowledge of the case‚ said that a break in the case came when her mother‚ under intense scrutiny and questioning by detectives‚ revealed her secret affair.

Armed with the identity of her lover‚ detectives threw out a wide drag-net which eventually closed in on him as he was returning the child to Durban between midnight and 1am yesterday.