The 25-year-old woman arrested after a newborn baby was found alive in a toilet bin at a Somerset West shopping centre appeared in court again on Tuesday 29 September, following her first appearance on Friday 25 September.

The case was postponed to Thursday 22 October for a formal bail application.

Shocking discovery

The baby boy was discovered on Monday afternoon 21 September, just after 14:00, when a passerby heard soft sounds coming from a toilet cubicle and alerted security. A newborn baby, still alive, was found in a bin in the toilet, according to a police report. The infant was apparently very premature and his umbilical cord was allegedly still attached.

ALSO READ: (“Community rallies around baby found alive in shopping centre toilet,” 22 September).

Pharmacy nurses in the centre cared for the newborn while emergency responders were activated. Helderberg Baby Saver first responder Sophia Warner activated the emergency protocol, with Secure Rite Security and GB Med Rescue responding at the scene. The baby was transported to Helderberg Hospital, where he was reported to be in a stable condition.

Community response

The discovery prompted an outpouring of concern and compassion in the community, with many questioning how a mother could find herself in circumstances so desperate that she felt she had no option but to leave her newborn in a toilet bin.

The case was referred to the Western Cape Department of Social Development’s child protection services. Provincial police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk confirmed the woman was arrested on a charge of concealment of birth.