A 32 year old Foreign National has been tracked down & arrested by Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) approx. 17 hours after she dumped her newborn baby in a stormwater drain.
A Reaction Officer on Bike Patrol on Wick Street in the Verulam – CBD found the girl hanging on the edge of a manhole leading to a two meter drop into a storm water drain. The child was rescued & expedited to a government hospital.
Last night (Sunday), the RUSA Operations Center received an anonymous tip-off from a Medical Facility reporting that
the picture of the child that was circulated was similar to a baby that was delivered via caesarean section.
Following up on this information & other several leads Reaction Officers began tracking the mother.
This morning (Monday) Reaction Officers established the identity of the woman. It was reported that she is a Foriegn National who moved to South Africa from the Capital City of Maseru in Lesotho two years ago. Futher information was received that the woman intended on fleeing ths country.
Reaction Officers canvassed an area in Hazelmere – KZN and located the woman with the assistance of an informer. She was found in possession of a passport belonging her friend. A plastic hospital tag in the name of the child was found in her room.
When interviewed by a female Reaction Officer, the woman explained that she had entered the country illegally in 2022. She left an 11 year old & 5 year old child back in Maseru to seek employment in South Africa. She was employed as a machinist at a textile business & became pregnant with her third child. During her pregnancy her boyfriend disputed the paternity of the child believing & that she had sexual relationships with other partners.
According to the woman, when the child was delivered the man refused to communicate with her. She added that she placed the baby in a black bin bag & intended on pushing the baby into the storm water drain. While approaching the drain she threw the baby in the direction of a manhole when a vehicle approached. She then fled the area.
Mother arrested for dumping of newborn baby in Durban https://t.co/9aWTyNmwnJ#ArriveAlive #NewbornBaby #MotherArrested @ReactionUnitSA pic.twitter.com/HV1BDUCwVt
– Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) February 10, 2025
