Damon: #BabySiwaphiwe deserves better

Listen to Damon on the topic below, or read his comments beneath the podcast.

What a weekend it's been. A tense two-day search for one-month-old Siwaphiwe after her mother Sibongile reported that she had been hijacked near the Durban city centre and the hijackers had taken the car - with her infant in it.

The car was then found in Montclair on Friday afternoon and the infant found alive in the early hours of Sunday morning at the Mariannhill Toll Plaza.

 On Friday when the story unfolded I felt the same as I always do when I hear a story about a hijacking. Angry.

In fact anything I hear about crime in our country makes me angry.

LISTEN: Baby Siwaphiwe's mother to appeal in court

Not taking away the fact that it's tragic when any innocent person is involved in an act of crime - but when a helpless infant is involved, it just infuriates me even more.

I've kept up to date with the story from the minute it broke and there are still headlines from newspapers and bits of interviews I saw and heard that haunted me all weekend.

"A distraught Durban family was on Saturday afternoon still waiting anxiously for news of the safe return of their one-month-old baby Siwaphiwe who was taken in a car-jacking at a local shopping centre on Friday."

"Baby Siwaphiwe's mother Sibongile could only say softly, "It is very bad." 

"I am pleading with the public to please help me find my child. And also to the suspects if they are listening wherever they are, it's not pleasant at all."

Let's not forget the hundreds of men and woman, community policing forum members, police men and women, emergency and security officials that searched for the little baby. 

I've thought about it all weekend....

Angry yes....

But more so cheated. Is that the right word? Yes - cheated and betrayed - and I'm guessing a lot of people will feel that way too.

Over the weekend, I saw our community come together to search for little Siwaphiwe and if her Mother had been part of it, it would honestly make me furious.

I wasn't even one of the people searching for Siwaphiwe so I can only imagine how betrayed I'd feel if I was and I found out it was all possibly orchestrated....

Then I start wondering why a Mother would do that?

Is it perhaps the lure of money?

What is she, as a Mother going though in order to even be a part of this....

My mind boggles.....

Remember it rained on Friday night and hundreds of YOU gave up your time to search for this child.

I feel sick to my stomach.

What's the journey been like for you?