Communities were outraged and heartbroken after the body of a newborn baby was found in the Cape Town CBD on Wednesday morning along Plein Street.
The baby was reportedly found just after 9am by a passer-by and provincial police spokesperson, Sergeant Wesley Twigg said “A concealment of birth case was registered for investigation.”
People took to social media to vent their anger and frustration as one person said “very cruel world we live in” while another said “this is horrific and inhumane”.
“Why not give the baby up for adoption… so many women out there who can’t have their own kids, that wish for that miracle” expressed another Facebook user.
This heartbreaking news extended all the way to executive director of Philisa Abafazi Bethu (Heal our Women), Lucinda Evans, who said that this incident was shocking, and questioned what the Children’s Commissioner Christina Nomdo, was doing regarding rewriting the policy that baby savers become legal in the country, as per IOL.
A baby saver is a unit with an alarm system where one can safely and anonymously relinquish a baby rather than dumping it. “A baby saver does not encourage abandonment, but rather offers a safe alternative to abandonment and should only be used as a last resort,” Baby Savers SA explains.
Community organisation Bayakhanya Foundation NPC previously set up a petition to legalise baby savers in order to decrease unsafe abandonment, reduce the number of babies who needlessly die, and reduce trauma for those who are handed into care, rather than being left to face the odds alone.
The organisation also took to Facebook to say “This Little Person’s death is a horrific reminder – we need to do far more to protect children’s lives in South Africa, starting with laws that prioritise children and provide them with options that add to life.”
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Body of newborn baby found in Cape Town CBD after allegedly being thrown from a vehicle
Picture: Supplied