Baby dumping ground
SCOURGE: NUMEROUS INFANTS ABANDONED IN GREATER PRETORIA AREA
New BeginningZ offers mothers alternative to ending a little life.
Pretoria has been hit by a scourge of abandoned babies with at least nine having been found abandoned in public spaces in the city in the first seven months of this year.
Some of the infants were alive when they were dumped.
A number of the babies were dumped in and around Mamelodi but other areas, including Soshanguve, Sunnyside and Queenswood, Olievenhoutbosch, Danville and Pretoria West, have also had cases reported to the police.
In Sunnyside, two babies were found abandoned, one in January on Cilliers Street and another in April on Vos Street.
In March a fetus was discovered in a dustbin in Queenswood and in May a baby was dumped on a pavement in Soshanguve.
In Mamelodi, twin babies were found dead at an illegal dumping site in June.
They were discovered by a man who was looking for scrap metal.
Police spokesperson Captain Johannes Maheso said the man informed the police and a case of concealment of birth was opened.
In July, another dead baby was found in Mamelodi East next to Balebogeng Primary School, while one was abandoned in a dustbin in Olievenhoutbosch. The baby was left overnight but was found alive and received treatment for hypothermia.
In the same month, another fetus was dumped in a dustbin in Danville, Pretoria West.
On Monday, a fetus was found in a dumpster, also in Pretoria West.
Netcare 911 spokesperson Nick Dollman said the fetus was still attached to the placenta when it was discovered in Pretoria Gardens.
“The baby was found wrapped in several plastic bags in a dumpster,” said Dollman.
New BeginningZ is a NGO that assists mothers who find themselves unable to look after their newborn babies. Its director, Tahiyya Hassim, said her organisation was established in 2001 and is based in Laudium. It offers services across Gauteng.
“New BeginningZ was started in honour of my baby boy, Zameer, who passed away in a car accident,” said Hassim.
Hassim said her job was to ensure that once a baby was handed over by the mother, the child was guaranteed safety.
New BeginningZ also offers a baby wall service where mothers can place their babies in a special enclosure in the wall.
“The baby wall is used only as the absolute last resort. Once the baby has been placed, an alarm rings inside the house and a caregiver comes out to fetch the baby,” she said. – Caxton News Service