Durban – The Newlands East community in Durban is appealing to pregnant mothers who do not want to keep their babies to seek assistance instead of dumping them.
This comes after a foetus washed up in a stream near Ferndale Primary School on Thursday.
Newlands East resident Joanne Ryan said she was called to the scene by two boys who made the gruesome discovery.
“I called the station commander who dispatched a vehicle to the scene. When I got there, I saw the baby that was on the side of the bank. So sad. Baby was face down and it was very small. SAPS and Metro Search and Rescue officers attended as well," she said.
Ryan suspected that the baby was flushed out of the drains as a result of the heavy rains in recent days.
She said a few months ago, a baby’s coffin was discovered in the same stream. She said police were called in and the coffin was removed.
Ryan appealed to the government to roll out sex education programmes at school for young girls.
Residents have meanwhile urged women to seek help from baby homes or community leaders.
Earlier this month, a newborn was found wrapped in plastic packets in a bin in the Durban CBD.
The newborn baby was discovered by taxi commuters. Spokesperson for Emer-G-Med medical services Kyle van Reenen said paramedics were flagged down by members of the public in the Warwick Avenue area after a commuter made a grizzly discovery while waiting for his taxi at the Phoenix taxi rank, in the Durban CBD.
Here are a few safe places where pregnant women can seek help:
Open Arms SA – Bluff
Natal at Thandi House – Pietermaritzburg
The Domino Foundation – Durban North
Choices for Life: Impilo Baby Haven – eManzimtoti Likhon iThemba Charity Hop Shop – Glenwood
IOL