A 23-year-old woman handed herself over to the police after she allegedly abandoned an infant baby near a stream in Dawncrest, KZN, on Monday morning.

Prem Balram, the spokesperson for Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa), said they were called out to Oaklands Drive in Dawncrest after a mango picker found a baby alongside a stream.

He said the baby girl, believed to be about three months, was found to be in good health.

“The baby was found with a bag containing nappies, a bottle of milk and a pacifier lying next to her and a note believed to be written by the mother.”

In the note, the mother requested authorities to be notified when the baby was found, saying she made contact with social workers twice, with no luck for assistance and that abortion was not an option as it is no longer safe and hospitals have strict rules.

She also asked not to be judged in the note. No further details of the baby or the father were found on the note.

Balram said the woman was arrested after she willingly handed herself over to the police, following a public outcry on social media platforms in South Africa.

The mother was charged with child abandonment and appeared in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court yesterday, where she was granted bail of R500.