Abandoned Newborn Baby in Durban Successfully Stabilised

An abandoned newborn baby boy was found in a rubbish bin this morning at commercial buildings in Durban. Netcare911 report that the baby has been successfully stabilised.

A Netcare911 spokesperson told SAPeople that the baby was found abandoned in a bin near the women’s toilets.

Netcare911 said the “beautiful little boy” will be taken to hospital where he will be assessed and then Child Services will take over.

“The police will also be involved, in order to try and locate the mother.”

Abandoned babies are unfortunately not a rare enough occurrence in South Africa where babies have been found in horrendous circumstances – left in a long-drop toilet, found in closed black plastic bags.

The spokesperson said “this sadly happens a lot but we are not always so lucky to get the baby stabilised, and often these little ones die either due to suffocation or exposure to the elements.”

Fortunately this little baby boy has survived, and some stories of abandoned newborns in South Africa do have happy endings.

In November 2015, two policemen who helped rescue an abandoned newborn from a bush on the side of the M13 in Westville, KwaZulu-Natal were happily reunited with the then one-year-old child, David.

Mothers who find themselves with an unwanted pregnancy are encouraged to contact a local church, social worker or clinic that will help them to have the baby adopted.