Community on alert after baby abandoned in Blikkiesdorp
Residents in Blikkiesdorp, Delft, were met with an gruesome scene on Monday afternoon after a dog was found with an abandoned newborn baby in its jaws.
The heartbreaking discovery was made when a woman saw a dog carrying a newborn baby boy, who still had his umbilical cord attached to him, in its mouth.
First on the scene was Shamiela Abrahams, Chairperson of the Community in Blue (CIB), who said: “A woman witnessed the dog carrying the baby in its mouth and when she called the dog, the it immediately put the baby down.
“Someone called me and when I arrived at the scene I tried keeping the people away because everyone wanted to see the child.”
Abrahams said that they are unsure of who the baby belongs to, but that the area is being monitored.
Salama Topass, Chairperson of the Blikkiesdorp Neighbourhood Watch, said that this is not the first incident of a baby being abandoned
She explained: “When I arrived at the scene, I managed to cordon it off before police arrived to keep the people away from the area.
“We have had cases like these where babies are abandoned but we never found the parents and have not had any feedback yet from the police.
“There was only one incident where the mother was found in Blikiesdorp, but the other babies are not from the area. They are only dumped in Blikkiesdorp, but we also never found the parents.”
Police spokesperson Constable Ndakhe Gwala confirmed that the matter is under investigation.
Gwala reported: “Delft police registered an inquest following the discovery of the body of an unknown baby boy at Blikkiesdorp next to R1 on October 27 at around 3.30pm. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.”
Earlier this month, the Cape Argus' sister newspaper, Daily Voice shared a special report on abandoned babies, in which MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety Anroux Marais stated: “In the majority of cases, identifying and apprehending the mother is extremely difficult.
“Often the babies are found in isolated areas without eyewitnesses, no CCTV footage, and no immediate leads, which makes it very difficult to trace the person.
“In most cases, mothers who abandon their babies are very discreet when doing so. Members of the public are often best placed to notice signs of a concealed pregnancy, distress in someone close to them, or suspicious behaviour following the birth of a child.
“I urge communities to be vigilant and to come forward with information that may assist the police with their investigations.”