Cape Town - Zephany Nurse may be called to the stand to testify in the sentencing of the woman who kidnapped her and raised her as her own.
The Lavender Hill woman will learn her fate in the Western Cape High Court in the next three weeks.
The Daily Voice can reveal the teen celebrated her 19th birthday with the kidnapper’s relatives on April 28.
Her biological family say they were made to “stand at the hekkie (gate)” when they came to wish her.
This after her mom Celeste Nurse went on radio in March to speak out about the rift between Zephany and her biological family, and begged her to give them a chance.
Zephany was snatched from Groote Schuur Hospital in April 1997, when she was just three days old.
On 10 March, Judge John Hlophe found a 51-year old woman guilty of kidnapping, fraud and contravening the Children’s Act.
Her sentencing proceedings are expected to begin on May 30.
She has been remanded in the Pollsmoor Prison since her conviction.
Zephany has chosen to stay with the woman’s husband.
On Thursday, the woman’s lawyer, Reaz Khan, said he was considering calling Zephany to the witness stand in mitigation of sentencing.
But it all depends on whether the State will ask Zephany to speak out against the woman who raised her.
“The State hasn’t made a decision yet and if they don’t [call up Zephany], I will consider it,” Khan said.
Khan said he hasn’t made contact with Zephany yet to discuss the matter.
“It depends on what she will say if she wants to testifty, I will have to sit with her still and speak to her consultant Ann Skelton.”
The Nurses are convinced Zephany will take the stand.
But Skelton said they are not yet ready to reveal whether Zephany will be taking the stand or not.
“There is nothing to share in the media at this stage,” she said.
“You are just going to have to be a bit patient. There will soon be some news.”
Marilyn Francis, Zephany’s maternal grandmother, said they’ve heard rumours that the girl will ask the court to give her kidnapper a lesser sentence.
“We heard about it, it will be her prerogative,” she said.
“She didn’t treat us so well on her birthday, we saw her on the 28th (of April) and we had to greet her at the gate.
“They didn’t make us feel welcome. I told her ‘dad’ he isn’t her family, they are blocking us from having a relationship with her.
“We speak to her on the phone but when we see her, it’s like she’s scared to speak.”
The teen was reconciled with her biological parents last year, after pupils at a Retreat high school noticed the striking resemblance to Zephany and her younger sister Cassidy Nurse.
DNA tests confirmed she was the snatched baby.
The kidnapper claimed the baby was given to her by a stranger at Wynberg train station after she paid a woman named “Sylvia” R800 to help her with an adoption.
Daily Voice