JOHANNESBURG - A Diepsloot mother’s final moments with her four-month-old daughter were at the Hennops River on Wednesday when she asked to breastfeed her child.
It was around 10am.
Precilla Rapela was accompanied to the river by her pastor and his wife for a ritual.
“I asked them if I could breastfeed my child, but they refused.”
Little did Rapela know that it would be the last time she would see her child alive.
Her infant was allegedly kidnapped, and her lifeless body was found later that day, buried in a shallow grave in Atteridgeville
READ | Tragic end to ritual as kidnapped four-month-old baby found dead
Earlier that day, Rapela said she left home with the pastor, believing he was taking her to the mountains to pray over problems she had been facing.
“I had no stress leaving with him because the Pastor is someone that I am used to. I quickly packed my things so we could leave for the mountains. But I did not expect that something like this could happen yesterday.”
The moment which was meant to be sacred ended with the mother allegedly being raped, tied up and left fighting to free herself while the pastor and his wife disappeared with her baby.
The only thing left behind at the scene was the child's pink school bag and a white doek.
“My heart is in pain. I do not think it will heal anytime soon.”
The woman, according to police, managed to untie herself is alleged to have run to the road where she sought help from a nearby construction site.
A private security company was activated and the police were alerted.
READ | Pastor's wife arrested as police search for 4-month-old kidnapped child
Police arrested the pastor's wife, who was the one who directed officers to where the four-month-old body would be found.
The pastor is still at large, and police are still searching for him as investigations continue.