‘Trashed’ newborn rescued
Baby Simangaliso was collected by Pinetown–Highway Child and Family Social Welfare in the hope that he will be adopted soon.
SIMANGALISO, which means ‘miracle’ in Zulu, is the name given to a baby boy who was found abandoned in Maurice Nichols Road earlier today (Wednesday, 18 February).
According to Musawenkosi Khumalo, an ADT street patroller, he heard a baby’s cry coming from a black bin bag near an ADT hut. He immediately rescued the baby from the bag, which had been tied closed, and alerted the Pineridge Neighbourhood Watch and his supervisor, Thandiwe Zondi, who is a trained paramedic.
Baby Simangaliso, who was believed to have been just two hours old when he was found in the rubbish bag, was wrapped in a blanket and surrounded by garden refuse, with ants crawling over his little body.
His umbilical cord was still intact and lay thrown over his shoulder.
The neighbourhood watch then alerted SACan, an effective incident communication network, and advised Thandiwe to take the baby to the nearest hospital as he was struggling to breathe.
Dylan Jenkins of Pineridge Neighbourhood Watch met Thandiwe at the Life Crompton Hospital and assisted her to admit the baby.
Upon seeing the little boy, trauma unit staff members, Catherine Steyn and Zama Mbanjwa, immediately fell in love with the child and saw to it that he got the best medical attention. Trauma staff decided on the name Simangaliso, in honour of the miracle of his rescue.
They arranged for paediatrician, Dr Jayendra Narsai, to examine the baby pro bono. Lancet laboratories agreed to do the baby’s blood work at their cost.
The baby weighed 2,77kg and was 51cm in length. He was given antibiotics, an injection and ARVs as the mother’s health status was unknown.
Nursing sister Patricia Parsad, quality safety support specialist, said every precaution was taken to ensure the baby remains healthy.
Lisa Thomas, marketing manager at the hospital, said that Simangaliso is truly a miracle baby because he survived up to two hours in a bin bag and could have bled to death as his umbilical cord had not been clamped.
“He is the first abandoned baby that this hospital has attended to. The baby, only hours old, was collected by Pinetown-Highway Child and Family Social Welfare, which will place him in a place of safety while paperwork is completed. The SAPS has opened a case of concealment of birth. Hopefully Simangaliso will be adopted soon,” said Thomas.
Jenkins said this incident was a exemplary example of teamwork between relevant authorities and organisations, in this case ADT, the Pineridge Neighbourhood Watch and SACan, and serves as a model for how similar incidents should be handled.
“We have no leads at the moment and assume that the mother dropped the baby and left. There are no cameras on that street. The case will continue to be investigated,” said Jenkins.
This case bears similarities to an incident in December last year, when a baby was rescued by a Good Samaritan after being abandoned in Westville. Read more here.
