In 1981, Salomé Tadford’s son was reportedly taken from her. She had fallen pregnant as a young 13-year-old, the result of sexual abuse.
Tadford describes the taking of her son (which occurred at her then-home in Alberton) to have been illicit. People unknown to her had claimed to be working for welfare services and took the baby away. She wouldn’t see her child, Frits Brandon, for the next 40 years.
According to News24, Tadford carried a picture of her baby with her wherever she went for years to come, striving fiercely to be reunited with him one day.
Tadford took to social media to spur further search efforts decades later in the era of social media. Her Facebook page, SonWhereRU, implored the help of other South Africans to find her child.
Started in 2019, five years of a public search would ensue. Tadford shared the details of her story (including how the pregnancy came to be) bravely on social media. She shared that her beliefs were that her son was taken illicitly.
“Regarding my son which was removed from me. I have been in contact with the department social development as of about 2006. They claim they have a record of adoption for my son and that I signed and approved the adoption but will not elaborate any further information. I never signed or approved any adoption for my son. I do not believe he was given out for adoption legally. This is based on the devious conduct of my known to me mother in many other instances,” Tadford explained.
Tadford’s life had gone on, and she shared that she was now the mother of other children and a grandmother too. However, she never gave up hope of finding her Frits Brandon, alongside the unwavering help of her husband, Leonard.
A few weeks ago, in July 2022 Tadford’s life changed forever, her years of searching finally rewarded.
On 5 July, “the day started like any other in South Africa” Tadford described, adding that loadshedding was looming – definitely any other day in South Africa. She was boiling the kettle when she received a message from an unknown number at 4:53am.
The message relayed that her story had the sender in tears, and they thought they had information. Speaking in Afrikaans, the message expressed that the sender knew a Brandon whose birthday was the 18 Septmber 1981, and that the names (even the original surname, Erasmus, which was Tadford’s maiden name) matched up.
In disbelief and with a desire to know more, Tadford asked for more information. She was quickly sent a copy of the adoption papers. The hospital where this Brandon was born was the same as her son, and other information lined up.