A 27-year-old woman who allegedly dumped her 11-month-old baby girl in the bushes is fighting for her life in the hospital.
This after the community of Nonyevu in Port St Johns, Eastern allegedly assaulted her after the discovery of the baby girl.
According to police, the baby was found in a refuse bag by a man who went into the bushes to pass urine.
Police Captain Welile Matyolo said the woman is facing a charge of murder after the child’s body was discovered by a passerby on Friday.
Baby found in a refuse bag
“It is alleged that on Friday the man went into the bushes to urinate when he found the baby in a refuse bag. He alerted members of the community and the mother was traced,” said Matyolo.
The cops said the infant was sick when the gruesome discovery was made. She passed away in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
It is alleged that the mother had wrapped the child in a towel, put her in a plastic bag, and threw her in the bushes at Nonyevu where she was living at the time of the incident.
The suspect is expected to appear in the Port St Johns magistrate’s court soon.
“The mother was assaulted by the community and is hospitalised. She will be charged with murder and a postmortem will be conducted to determine the exact cause of death,” said Matyolo.
Help fight teenage pregnancy
Recently, the Eastern Cape health department confirmed in a statement that 200 babies were born on January 1 2024, 39 fewer than on New Year’s Day in 2023.
Health MEC Nomakhosazana Meth expressed the department’s concern about unplanned pregnancies and called on communities to help fight the scourge.
“We are, however, concerned that little girls continue falling pregnant and giving birth every year,” said Meth.
“We are calling on everyone to play their part in fighting unplanned pregnancy and teenage pregnancy.”
