Toddler abandoned in Nkobongo
"When you look at the child, you can see that he is so confused after being passed on from one person to the next"
The heart-wrenching story of a toddler who was abandoned in Nkobongo township near Shakaskraal, has touched the hearts of Dolphin Coast residents.
The boy, about four years old, was reportedly dropped off by a man at an elderly woman’s house two days before Christmas. Umhlali SAPS spokesperson Vinny Pillay said the child had since been passed from one person to the next.
“We are not clear on the details but we believe that the elderly woman could have been the child’s grandmother. The woman was unstable and an alcoholic. She then left the child with a relative. This particular relative who had two other children could not afford to take care of a third and took the toddler to social welfare who turned him away because he had no form of identification. The mother, father or grandmother cannot be traced.”
Pillay said he helped the desperate woman who had been caring for the child by personally taking the child to social welfare on Monday.
“He is currently with social welfare. The procedure is for the parent to take the child to the social welfare with proper identification. We have no details about this child other than the fact that he says his name is Sihle.
“Social welfare now has to get a letter from the court giving them permission to keep him. It is a sad story. Home Affairs will now have to help in getting new documentation for him. His name might even be changed. When you look at the child, you can see that he is so confused after being passed on from one person to the next. He cried when we left him at social welfare.”
A case of child abandonment was opened against the mother and grandmother while Pillay desperately tried to rally the community to assist with clothes for the toddler.
“I posted a message on one of the community WhatsApp groups. Many people were touched with Sihle’s story and have come forward and volunteered to donate. It is in times like this when people and communities need to stand together and I am so thankful for the great people we have on the Dolphin Coast. There is no limits to their generosity.”
Contact warrant officer Vinny Pillay at 073 310 0103 if you have any information on Sihle (pictured) or his parents.
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