The heartbreaking reality of abandoned newborns in South Africa
After a newborn was rescued from a stormwater drain in Verulam on Sunday, homes for abandoned and orphaned children have called for greater support for vulnerable mothers, highlighting the urgent need for compassion and understanding.
Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) spokesperson Prem Balram said reaction officer Chris Pillay was stopped on Wick Street in Verulam at 6.52pm by a pedestrian who believed an animal was stuck in a stormwater drain.
Pillay searched the area and found a black bin bag stuck near the manhole of a stormwater drain. A newborn was hanging at the entrance, leading to a fall several metres below. He removed the plastic bin bag, rescued the child and radioed for assistance.
“Rusa paramedics arrived on the scene and removed wet and soiled clothing from the baby. A dry uniform jacket was placed around the infant girl while she was expedited to Osindisweni Government Hospital,” Balram said.
He added that a cotton swab was found on the newborn’s arm, leading paramedics to believe she had recently been discharged from a medical facility.
Isiaiah 54 Children’s Sanctuary director and Open Arms SA founder Youandi Gilain said: “The reality is stark: we live in a society where many mothers feel unsupported, leading to crippling depression, loneliness and fear. These overwhelming emotions can become so unbearable that, tragically, some mothers feel they have no other option but to abandon their child.
“We can only imagine the desperation and anguish that this mother must have felt to lead her to this point. It’s a sobering reminder that we need to do better as communities to support our mothers, our families and our most vulnerable members.
“Let’s rally together to ensure that no mother feels alone or unsupported. We must create a safety net of love, care, and compassion that envelops our families and protects our children.”
The Baby Home - Durban North crisis parent Jo Teunissen asked what kind of desperation, fear, or pain must have led a mother to make such a decision.
She said they do not, and cannot, condone what she has done, because from the outside they can see so many other, better options. However, they also cannot ignore the reality that something went wrong long before this moment—something that failed both mother and child.
Teunissen said harder questions should be asked: How do we prevent such situations in the first place? How do we create a society where no mother feels this is her only option? And how do we ensure that the most vulnerable among us—our children—are truly protected, in every sense of the word?
thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za