A newborn baby boy was found alive in the bathroom of a Somerset West shopping centre on Monday afternoon (21 September), leading to the arrest of a young woman on a charge of concealment of birth.
According to a police report members were alerted to the incident just after 14:00. “A passerby heard soft sounds, like a cat, and informed security. On further investigation it was found that a newborn baby, still alive, was discovered in a bin in the toilet. Authorities were alerted and the baby was taken to hospital for medical attention.”
Police confirmed a 25-year-old woman was arrested in connection with the case.
A first responder with the Helderberg Baby Saver, Sophia Warner, attended the scene along with a colleague.
She recalled the baby being taken a pharmacy in the centre, where pharmacy nurses held and cared for him. “I activated the emergency protocol from the location and Secure Rite Security and GB Med Rescue was activated. The paramedics came to the pharmacy and the very premature baby was transported to hospital, where I believe the infant is stable.”
Emergency personnel on the scene confirmed the baby boy was very premature and his umbilical cord was still attached.
Abulele Dyasi, communications officer at the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness, confirmed the baby was admitted to Helderberg Hospital on Monday (21 September), transported by emergency medical personnel. “The South African Police Service visited the hospital to verify the infant’s condition, and all relevant hospital protocols have been followed. The baby is currently in a stable condition,” Dyasi said.
She added that In line with child protection procedures, the case was reported to the Department of Social Development’s National Child Protection Register and referred for further investigation and intervention.
Warner described the incident as an awful situation, one that calls on deep levels of sensitivity, particularly in relation to the mother, who felt she had to make a difficult decision.
The one positive, she noted, was the outpouring of love, from the person who found the baby to the security staff, centre employees and emergency personnel who rallied together.
Safe alternative
The Helderberg Baby Saver, a built-in safe in the side wall of the Choices Crisis Pregnancy Centre in Schapenberg Road, offers a last port of call for help and hope, enabling the safe and anonymous relinquishment of an unwanted baby. When a baby is placed in the safe, an alarm is triggered and appointed respondents, including security officers and emergency personnel, collect the infant.
The response is linked to child protection organisation Wandisa, which sees to the statutory processes. The saver is available around-the-clock, every day, has no cameras and is safe to use anonymously.
The Saver has given just under 20 babies a second chance at life since launching in 2014 and emphasises the importance of safe relinquishment over abandonment.
- For more information on the Helderberg Baby Saver, call 072 412 1863.
