Municipal workers find baby boy dumped in manhole in Leandra
Police are looking for baby's mother.
LEANDRA – A fully developed body of a baby boy with the umbilical cord still attached was found inside a RDP sewer pump station in Leandra on August 14.
The body was found by the Govan Mbeki municipal employees who were unblocking the sewer manhole on the inside of the pump station.
The DA’s PR councillor, Portia Mpatlanyana, said she was disappointed by the Leandra police after the discovery of the body of a baby was reported to them.
“On my arrival at the sewer pump station, municipal employees showed me the baby and when I asked if the police were notified, the employees said yes but the police just came there to see and left without even trying to cover the body.
“I believe that children should not be exposed to such traumatic things. They walk past the station when they are going to school and they are supposed to be protected from seeing such horrors.
“The community in the area of the RDP pump station always complain about the sewer spillages and this incident taught us something. Why do people do such cruel things, throwing a baby in the sewer manhole?” asked Mpatlanyana.
Constable Nontobeko Ngubeni, the Leandra police spokesperson, said the police opened a concealment of birth case.
Ngubeni said on the day of the incident, they only had one police van available and they received many complaints.
She said the police were on their way to a complaint when they received a report of a baby and they decided to pass there because it was on their road.
“We understand that the community leader is concerned about our members’ behaviour on that day. Our station commander, Lieutenant Colonel Khuselwa Matrose, warned those members to not do that again.”
“All role players were summoned to the scene. The baby was declared dead and the body was removed by the pathologist,” said Ngubeni.
She said the police are urging anybody from the community who has information about the mother of the baby who dumped him, to come forward.
If you have information that can lead to the arrest of the suspect, contact the police on 079 891 5001 or 017 683 0212.
