A dead newborn still with its umbilical cord was found floating in a river between sections D6 and SNS in Mamelodi East on Sunday. The gruesome discovery was made by a passer-by who was crossing the river and subsequently informed the police. Shirley Kekana, a resident of the area, commented on the situation: “It is heartbreaking, I wonder what kind of human being dumps a baby like that. I am not sure I will be able to sleep after seeing the baby floating dead like that in the river, there are so many women out there who desperately want children, yet these people just throw them in the river to die.”
Emmanuel Khozi, another resident commented: “This is embarrassing, shameful and painful. There are clinics and places of safety where she could have dropped the baby off alive, but instead she chooses to do this. This baby could have been our future president or someone important like a doctor, but it was killed before its time.”
Anastasia Mosetlha, a social worker in Mamelodi, said they were concerned about the growing number of foetuses and stillborn babies being dumped around Mamelodi. “If women find themselves in a difficult situation concerning pregnancy or do not want to take care of the baby, they are welcome to come to the Mamelodi social workers for help,” Mosetlha said. She did, however, also explain that sometimes the women were under immense pressure when they committed such crimes, especially in cases where the father of the baby refuses to get involved.
Police spokesperson, Captain Augustine Selepe, confirmed that a case of concealment of birth had been opened, but said that no arrests had been made. Anyone with any information is urged to contact the police.
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