A few hours later, Mita Morobe held six-month-old Kgosietsile in front of photographers, lifted him above her, smiled and looked into his face.
Kgosietsile means "the king has arrived", announced Morobe proudly.
She told the media at the police's Brixton joint operations centre that her tears had been tears of relief. She had not slept on Monday night and was tired but, she said, she always believed that she would see her child again because of the police's speedy response.
"The police have been there [for us]," she said, thanking them several times.
Gauteng acting provincial commander Major-General Tebello Mosikili said the police had worked around the clock to trace the kidnapped child.
Morobe woke up just after 5am on Monday and discovered that her baby, who slept in the same room as she, was not in his cot.
The child's nanny had allegedly fled with the baby, and stolen clothes and money, before locking Morobe and her sister in the house.
The nanny, originally from Zimbabwe, allegedly sent Morobe's younger sister, Ida Dawutola, an SMS demanding a R45000 ransom and warning them not to call the police if they wanted to see the baby again.
After Morobe phoned Talk Radio 702, the police quickly got involved.
Morobe was on her way to Brixton with the police when the kidnapper SMSed her sister.
The message contained a phone number and an instruction to the mother to call the number to recover the child.
Police phoned the number and the woman who answered said she was looking after children at a Hillbrow creche.
The caregiver had not heard about the kidnapping but was able to let the police know that Kgosietsile was in her care.
No ransom was paid.
Morobe said the nanny had worked for the family for three months.
"She didn't strike me as a greedy person. She actually appeared as a friendly, kind person.
"She even spent the festive holiday with us and was invited to visit my elder sister in Midrand so my sister could see the child.
"She was trusted. We took her in as a family. I don't know what led to this."
Morobe had found the nanny through a placement agency in Brixton that a friend had recommended.
The agency worked with the police to help find the child.
She said rumours that the nanny had not been paid were false.
Morobe said she paid her on Friday and took her to the doctor for treatment for a toothache on Wednesday last week and gave her sick leave on Thursday.
Police are still looking for the nanny.
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