A newborn baby boy was rescued from a shallow grave at a farm in Paddock during the Easter holiday in KwaZulu-Natal, the South Coast Herald reports.
The 25-year-old mother, originally from Izingolweni, had left the infant among some timber, covered with sand, at her workplace after she gave birth to the baby boy.
Police spokesman Captain Gerald Mfeka said staff at the timber factory where the mother is employed heard the baby crying.
“They searched and found him hidden underneath some timber, covered in sand. On hearing the commotion, the mother confessed that the child was hers. Her explanation was that she was afraid of her parents. This was her second child, the elder one being four years old, and she felt her parents would not approve of another baby,” said Captain Mfeka.
The baby was taken to the Port Shepstone Regional Hospital where he was admitted to ICU. The mother was also taken to hospital and released.
READ MORE: Abandoned babies a concern in Sunnyside
She appeared in the Izingolweni court on Wednesday, where she was charged with child abandonment. The case was postponed for further investigation.
Port Shepstone Regional Hospital spokesman Phumza Morai said yesterday that hospital staff and doctors had stabilised the baby.
“He is now in a stable condition but still receiving treatment,” said Ms Morai.
“Children continue to be abused, neglected and abandoned in alarming numbers on the South Coast and everyone needs to stand together to solve the problem,” said Sagree Naicker, manager of Child Welfare, Port Shepstone.
She called on parents who were vulnerable, especially during pregnancy, to come to the Child Welfare offices and explain their situation rather than abandoning their newborn children. Port Shepstone Child Welfare can be contacted at 039 6820073/4.
– Caxton News Service
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