Father of baby Siwaphiwe appears in court over fake abduction

02 February 2018 - 12:18 By Jeff Wicks
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Siwaphiwe's biological father Phumlani Mbokazi and his lawyer Andile Dakela in Durban Magistrate Court on February 2, 2018.
Siwaphiwe's biological father Phumlani Mbokazi and his lawyer Andile Dakela in Durban Magistrate Court on February 2, 2018.
Image: THULI DLAMINI

A week after Sibongile Mbambo was sentenced to five years imprisonment for her role in the fake abduction of her baby Siwaphiwe‚ the girl’s biological father took his turn to face the court.

Phumlani Mbokazi‚ 26‚ dressed in a floral shirt‚ made a brief appearance in the Durban Regional Court on Friday.

Mbokazi and Mbambo‚ 36‚ had engaged in an extra-marital affair‚ resulting in the birth of their lovechild.

Mbokazi faces charges of fraud and defeating the ends of justice. Mbambo pleaded guilty.

The pair are accused of faking the abduction of Siwaphiwe‚ supposedly taken during a hijacking gone awry at a shopping mall.

During Mbambo’s sentencing‚ social worker Lydia Watson testified that the teacher had met Mbokazi at a shop two months before she had fallen pregnant.

“She had fallen pregnant and during that time she was uncertain of who the father was because she had had relations with the biological father and her husband‚” she said.

After the child was born‚ Watson said that Mbokazi had sent her pictures of his other children to compare to Siwaphiwe.

“On seeing pictures of the other children this crystallised‚ in her mind‚ that he was the father.”

She feared that the physical appearance of the child would reveal that her husband was not the father. Mbokazi will appear in court in two weeks.

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