A newborn is recovering in hospital after being rescued from a pit toilet in Mkhuhlu, Mpumalanga.

A 23-year-old mother allegedly tried to conceal the birth of her newborn son by throwing him in a pit toilet late on Tuesday.

According to a provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, the woman, a mother of three, is expected to appear in the Mkhulu Magistrate’s Court soon.

Mohlala says the woman, who is reportedly from Bushbuckridge, had gone to visit a friend in Matangaleni Trust near Mkhuhlu that evening.

He says a few minutes before midnight, the woman told her friend she needed to go to the toilet. Mohlala said the woman gave birth and allegedly threw her newborn baby in the pit toilet.

Mohlala says the friend realised what had happened, though it is as yet unclear how, and called the police and emergency services to the scene.

He adds that the baby was rescued from the pit toilet and rushed to a local hospital.

The woman was arrested for attempted murder. She was taken to a local hospital where she remains under police guard.