The heart-breaking case of two-year-old Kutloano Shalaba, who had been missing since November 2024, has taken a grim turn.
eNCA senior reporter, Silindelo Masikane, who confirmed the latest development on Friday, May 30, 2025, said the police have recovered Kutloano’s body.
Authorities have also arrested a sangoma (traditional healer) in connection with the case.
His mother, Keneilwe Shalaba, is currently in custody, accused of selling her son for R75,000.
Shabala appeared in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrates’ Court, Gauteng, on Monday, November 25, 2024, on charges of human trafficking, conspiracy to commit robbery, and making a false statement to the police.
The charges stem from allegations that, on 10 November 2024, the mother sold her two-year-old son to unidentified individuals.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in a statement said that on 13 November 2024, she allegedly reported a false case to the police, claiming that her son had been kidnapped by unknown men in a vehicle.
During the police investigation, it was uncovered that the kidnapping claim was false. The woman later confessed to fabricating the story.
She was subsequently arrested on 19 November 2024 and has been in custody since her arrest. Shabala gave birth to another child in custody.
She had appeared on February 25, 2025, in court while pregnant.
