A 23-year-old woman, Bandile Sithole of Mevamhlope, was arrested over the weekend and appeared in the Ngwelezane Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday for allegedly dumping her newborn baby down a pit latrine.
Passers-by heard the infant’s crying and retrieved the little one.
The baby has been admitted to Ngwelezana Hospital for medical attention.
Empangeni SAPS spokesperson Captain Mbongeni Mdlalose said the matter is under investigation.
‘Crime is crime irrespective of circumstance and those who are guilty must be charged accordingly,’ he said.
According to the police report, Sithole is unemployed with no post-school qualifications.
Director of LifeLine Zululand Sue Stevenson said that desperation and circumstance drive people to severe extremes.
‘It is so sad that people are so depressed that they are pushed to such actions. There is always help,’ she said.
