A newborn baby girl was rescued after she was dumped on a grass verge next to a busy road in Gandhinagar in Tongaat on Friday afternoon.

Prem Balram, spokesperson for Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa), said teenage boys who were playing soccer on High Crescent found the infant wrapped in a black fleece blanket.

He said they flagged down a passing motorist who contacted Rusa for assistance.

Reaction officers and paramedics were immediately dispatched and arrived on scene at around 16:00.

“Paramedics examined the baby and discovered that the umbilical cord was clamped with a wood clothing peg. The infant was transported to the Tongaat Clinic for further medical intervention.”

Balram said a case of child abandonment is being investigated by the police.