SUPPLIED
T
HE Sea PointPro
menade on a clea
evening is madefo
pictures – dancin
waves, birds dartin
across a pink skyand
spectacular Tabl
Mountain as a back
drop. So there’s nothing unusua
about the young woman smiling
into the camera at dusk on a Friday
balmy enough to carry the promise
of spring.
Except this woman is the epito-
me of unusual. Four years agoshe
discovered the mom she’d knowna
loved all her life was actually herkidnap-
per – and that everything she’dknown
about her life until then was basedon
lies and deception.
In the tumultuous years that followed,
Zephany Nurse’s identity and the name
she was given by her “new” parents were
withheld from the public by a court or-
der. But now she’s reached the point
where she’s ready to look the world in the
eye as Miché Solomon, the name she
grew up with.
The court order has been lifted at her
own insistence and she no longer wants
to hide.
YOU has interviewed her on many oc-
casions in the past and each time her
face had to be blurred out – but now
Miché looks straight into the camera
with her olive-green eyes, teeth gleaming
in a perfect white line when she smiles.
She’s upbeat and confident and coping
well with the flood of publicity that’s sur-
rounded her “coming out”. The new book
about her extraordinary life story, simply
titled Zephany, is about to hit the shelves
when YOU meets her and she’s pre-
pared for any backlash, she says.
Miché accepts that the book may
spark “gossip” and that some will
wonder why it’s being published
now “when the story is
old news”.shesays.“Itwasalwaysmyplantocome
outbutI hadtowaituntilI wasready.A
lotofforgivenessandacceptanceand
understandinghadtohappen.”
Becominga momtoSophia(2)and
Matteo(1)alsoinfluencedherdecision
tocomeforwardandtellherstory.
“HavingthemI couldimagineforthe
firsttimehowI’dfeelif someonestolemy
baby,”shesays.“Thebooktalkstoevery-
onewho’slosta child,whetherthrough
a miscarriageorcircumstancessimilar
tomine.
“You’renotalone.It canhappentoany-
one.Yourworldcanbeturnedupside
down,nomatterwhereyoulive,”Miché
says.“Ihopemystorycreateshope,es-
peciallyforwomen.AndI don’twantto
misstheopportunitytouseit fora pur-
posegreaterthanmyself.”
Michéstilllivesinthetwo-bedroom
houseinLavenderHillontheCapeFlats
whereshegrewup– exceptnowshe’sin
chargeofthehousehold.
LevonaSolomon(54),herbeloved
“Mommy”,isservinga 10-yearprison
sentenceforkidnappingherasa
babyfromGrooteSchuurHospital
whenshewastwodaysold.
MichaelSolomon(53)– Miché’s
“Daddy”andanelectrician– is the
solebreadwinnerandthetwoare
close.Herrelationshipwithher
biologicalparents,
Celeste(41)ndMorné(42)Nurse,iscomplex
utshe hopes it will be resolved in
me.
Now 22, Miché has her hands full
thher young children. When YOU
sitsthe family, little Sophia is
musing herself with a stack of
unchy biscuits and a cup of coffee,
hichshe empties onto a tray.
Scooby makes mess,” she says,
oking at her mom.
Michéjumpsup,gentlyscoldsher
d takesthetraytothekitchen.
ou’remakingworkforme,”shetells
daughter.
Scoobyiswhatshecallsherself,”
Michésayswhenshereturns.“Idon’t
knowwhereit comesfrom.”
Matteobecomesrestlessandtheir
nannytakeshimoutside,Sophiatod-
dlingafterthemandchattingawayto
Lucythebullmastiff.
Michélooksquitedifferenttotheper-
sonwemetthreeyearsago.Thenshe
wasshyandreservedanddidn’twantto
bequoteddirectly.Everythinghadtobe
reportedviaMichael.
Sherelatedthedetailsofthestorythat
madeheadlinesaroundtheworld:how
theHawkshadcometoherschool,
ZwaanswykHigh,whereshewasin
matric,andinsistedona DNAtestasshe
mightbethebabystolenin1997.
SuspicionswereraisedthatZephany
mayhavebeenfoundwhenCassidy,the
Nurses’youngerdaughter,enrolledat
ZwaanswykHighandfriendsremarked
onthestrikingresemblancebetweenher
andMiché.
(Turnover)o-
ar
or
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and
dnap “Yes it’soldnewsbut suitsme”
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“S
Miché‘I don’t want to missthe
opportunity to use mystoryfor
a purpose greater thanmyself’
Miché and her biological sister Cassidy
Nurse. Their striking resemblance untan-
gled the mystery of Miché’s kidnapping.you.co.za 29 AUGUST 2019 | (^7)
YOU NEWS