Pretoria – A 37-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly dumping her newborn baby in bushes, next to the railway line in Dullstroom.
The woman is scheduled to appear today, before the Belfast Magistrate’s Court today, facing a charge of child neglect.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said the incident happened on Sunday evening.
“Police received a call from a concerned caller who opted to remain anonymous that he saw something wrapped like a baby. On police arrival, it was confirmed that it was a baby and police urgently summoned the medical services who took the baby to hospital,” Mohlala said.
“Police at Dullstroom immediately began with the investigation and were led to the said mother of the baby boy. She was arrested and charged accordingly.”
Provincial commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has commended the arrest of the mom, and condemned the woman’s actions.
“It is concerning when a woman acts so cruel especially during a period when other women are being celebrated for the vital role that they play especially in the lives of many children in the society,” Manamela said.
“We urge those who feel burdened by the responsibility of upbringing children to consider approaching the relevant social services where such children can be given up for adoption rather than dumping them.”
In February, police opened a case of concealment of birth following the discovery of a dumped foetus in an open veld in Lenasia South, Gauteng, on Valentine’s Day.
Sergeant Khalipha Mvula, spokesperson for the Lenasia South police, said the grim find was made by a passer-by who was walking on a footpath near Annapurna Street in Lenasia South extension 4.
IOL