Recyclers find foetus in Alex rubbish dump

ALEXANDRA - Recyclers going about their daily chore of scavenging for goods to reuse on the morning of 3 June made the gruesome discovery of a foetus on a rubbish dump. The police only collected the foetus this evening. The content of this story may disturb readers.

Wonderful Moyo and Daniel Ndlovu on the dump where they found the foetus.

The recyclers, Wonderful Moyo and Daniel Ndlovu of Extension 9, made the discovery at 9am at the entrance to Setwetla Informal Settlement on Florence Maphosho Avenue. A distraught and traumatised Moyo said they were attracted to the dump by a fire and on advice from their workmates that they would find empty bottles at the site.

“I was busy scraping on the dump and saw a black plastic bag which I thought may contain bottles, only to find the body frame of a foetus.” He said the partial sketeleton disturbed him for about 10 minutes after which he rushed home to collect his camera to photograph the body which had parts of the head, bits of skin with hair, the nose, ribs and feet still intact. It is presumed to have been scavenged by dogs.

Moyo said the discovery impacted on him as, still without a child, he wondered how callous a human being could be to dump a baby who could have been a useful members of society – and perhaps even a national leader. He said the dumping was criminal and could have been avoided through proper abortion, which is legal.

Ndlovu said that last year another foetus was discovered in the Jukskei River.

Community members who were gathered at the site expressed concern at the police’s delay in collecting the foetus which, they said, could have been devoured by dogs. They said the dump concerned them as it is isolated and they were worried that it could be a hiding place for robbers and where murderers could stash bodies. They said the spot should be cleared and the Community Police Forum members should resume patrols. They also asked police to reactivate sector policing which they alleged was dysfunctional.

Bramley police, who were on site at 4.30pm, said the foetus would be collected by the government mortuary crew and investigations would be conducted.