A 32-year-old foreign national has been arrested by Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) for abandoning her newborn baby near a stormwater drain in Verulam, KZN.
The shocking incident unfolded when a reaction officer on bike patrol discovered the baby girl hanging on the edge of a manhole, dangerously close to a two-meter drop into the drain.
The officer immediately rescued the infant and rushed her to a nearby government hospital for medical attention.
On Sunday night, February 9, an anonymous tip-off from a local medical facility alerted RUSA to a picture of the child, which closely resembled a newborn delivered by caesarean section.
RUSA officers began following up on this lead and other information, leading them to identify the mother. According to reports, the woman had moved to South Africa from Maseru, Lesotho, two years ago.
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The investigation revealed that the woman had plans to flee the country, prompting officers to search Hazelmere, where they located her with help from an informer.
Upon arrest, the woman was found in possession of a passport belonging to a friend and a hospital tag with the baby’s name.
During questioning, she admitted to entering South Africa illegally in 2022 and leaving her two older children in Lesotho to find work.
She explained that her relationship with her boyfriend had deteriorated due to his doubts about the baby’s paternity. When the child was born, the boyfriend refused to communicate with her, and in a state of distress, she decided to abandon the baby.
The woman confessed that she had placed the baby in a black bin bag and aimed to discard her in the stormwater drain. However, when a vehicle approached, she panicked and fled the scene.
