DEVASTATED by the discovery of the body of a baby on Blackburn Road, the Park Hill community gathered to host a small memorial on Saturday morning.

The grisly discovery of the tiny infant was made on Thursday morning, while construction workers were preparing to repair a wall that had collapsed during the recent torrential rains. The wall was situated between the football grounds and the adjacent residential property.

According to the manager of the construction company, Jeremiah Mokoena (49), he and his workers have been shocked and traumatised by the find.

“My guys were on the other side of the wall, in the park, preparing the wall for plaster when I suddenly heard them scream. One of them had pulled a black plastic bag away from the wall. It tore and the baby fell out. It was incredibly sad and shocking,” he said.

After the discovery W/ O Leon Audh, the Greenwood Park SAPS spokesman, said that that police were unable to determine the sex of the baby as it was badly decomposed.

However, Mokoena said that they could clearly see that the baby was a boy. Residents believe that the baby was dumped last week Sunday.

The homeowner, Yves Accola (64) said that dumping was a regular occurrence at the park.

“There is no safety and security at the facility. The gates are only closed around 10 or 11pm, so anyone can move in and out. We also know there are people who frequent the park for parties,” he said.

Denise Masson, the chairman of the local community watch, Clarendon Neighbourhood Watch, was heartbroken by the news.

“There are a lot of people that cannot have children. There are so many alternative options available to mothers these days. You don’t need to tie your baby and dumped it,” she said.

Masson added that she was haunted by the thoughts of how the baby had died.

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