Body of baby found in dustbin

The body of a baby girl was found by a waste picker dumped in a dustbin on the side of the road on the corner of De La Rey and Raath Street on May 17.

According to resident Sonet Shields, one of her staff members, Yvonne Masinga, ran into a waste picker on her way to work, who told her that he had come across the body while searching for recyclables.

“Yvonne immediately called me, and I rushed to the scene,” Shields said.

“I wrapped the tiny body in my jacket and called our local AfriForum patrollers to assist. Police showed up while I was there and took over the scene.”

The Roodepoort Record spoke to Georgina Caetano, owner of the Discovery-based baby sanctuary, Just in Time, to discuss the phenomenon of baby abandonment.

The sanctuary is one of the only local organisations with a baby saver box – a box where desperate mothers can safely leave their babies.

Caetano currently looks after eight children, some of whom were placed in her care by the courts.

“As despicable as we may find it, the fact is that people are driven by absolute desperation to dump their babies. It is very hard not to judge someone who does something like this.”

Legally, baby saver boxes remain a controversial issue, since the Department of Social Development is adamant that it promotes the abandonment of babies without consequence, but to Caetano, it is the difference between life and death for these children.

“I do not condone the abandonment of children,” she said. “But that does not change the fact that these things happen and will continue to happen. A baby saver does not relieve anyone from their responsibility to care for their kids. But it does serve as an alternative option for someone desperate enough to dump a baby.

“By making use of a baby saver, we can at least save the life of the child.”

The sanctuary is located at 70 Kliprand Street, Discovery, a mere stone-throw away from where the body was discovered.

“If this mother had just walked a few streets up, she could have placed the child safely in the baby saver, and we would have taken care of her.”