NEWSFLASH: Two newborn babies dumped in the north

Cases of child neglect have been opened for further investigation.

June 21, 2018

David Matsena 1 minute read

Ga-Rankuwa police with a newborn baby who was found abandoned.

Two newborn babies have been found dumped in two separate incidents in the north.

One infant was found dumped in Ga-Rankuwa zone 16 while the other one was found at a dumpsite at Mhlambe stand in Winterveldt.

Police spokesperson Captain Mathews Nkoadi said police received a complaint on Wednesday morning that a baby had been found abandoned.

“We rushed to the said area, and recovered a baby girl wrapped in a pink blanket and stashed in a black refuse plastic bag near the gate of a house,” said Nkoadi.

He said a passerby alerted the owner of the house about a suspicious-looking plastic bag, and police were immediately contacted.

“None of the residents saw the person who dumped the baby and no one was able to recognise or identify the baby,” said Nkoadi.

The newborn, believed to be three-days-old, was rushed to the nearby clinic.

“She was later handed over to social workers. We opened a case of child neglect,” said Nkoadi.

In Winterveldt, north of Pretoria, a four-week-old baby boy was found dumped at the Mhlambe stand on Wednesday morning.

Police spokesperson Constable Herman Moremi said an employee at a crèche saw the baby while throwing rubbish at a dump site.

“She found a baby wrapped in a blanket. The baby was still alive. Scared that the baby would die in her hands, she immediately informed Loate police,” said Moremi.

The baby was also taken to a nearby clinic for medical checkup.

“The mother of the child is unknown and there is no information of when the child was dumped.”

We are appealing to members of the community to assist with information that may lead to the apprehension of the suspect(s), to contact us on our crime stop number 08600 10111 or SMS crime line 32211.