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This was revealed by Gauteng community safety MEC Faith Mazibuko in a written reply to questions posed by the Democratic Alliance in the Gauteng legislature.

According to Mazibuko the babies were found at hospitals, open fields, parks and in rubbish bins.

The figures are from case dockets opened at police stations involving incidents of concealment of birth.

A total of 355 live babies were found abandoned from 2007 to 2010. Over the same period 468 abandoned babies were found dead. But the trend was largely steady, with 102 cases in 2007 and 115 cases in 2010.

Only 33 arrests were made for all these abandoned babies, dead or alive.

Drug and alcohol abuse have been identified as factors causing abandonment, next to mothers who cannot cope with the responsibility of a newborn baby.

"Mothers need to know that there are alternatives to abandoning their babies, including 'hole in the wall' centres a baby can be left safely," DA Gauteng health spokesperson Jack Bloom said.

Carol Bews, assistant director at Johannesburg Child Welfare, said it was difficult to find the real reason why people abandon babies.

"We can speculate about it but it is definitely an act of desperation because it is not natural for someone to dump a baby.

"It could be from a lack of support from the family, difficulty in accessing abortion facilities and many other things," Bews said.

She said from an early age girls need to be taught about the options they have when it comes to pregnancy.

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Sun May 19 08:44:01 SAST 2013 ::

Jul 12, 2011

sabza007

Our girls sleep with the Nigerians, Pakistanis and so forth so the sake of money and not condomising in the process. This is the chilling truth.
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Jul 12, 2011

ayobaness

why not make abortion if u dont want a babe?
our government is providing us with free contraceptives
but why keep the poor babe theres are free morning after pills,free abortions and free injections in this country but why mara hey?
i have a child nd i luv him dearly

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Jul 12, 2011

NoStressBaby

I dont think it's a matter of lack of knowledge, some women are just selfish. If you can't afford a child use protection or vala imilenze period, dumping or killing these innocent souls is a Sin and nizowuthola umvuso one day. There are many married couples that cant have kids and so want them, why not take the child to a safe place, give them up for adoption instead of turning into murderers. When you find out you're pregnant zihluphe to seek information on your options than turning into monster mommies mxxm sometimes i wonder why God blesses these freaks with these souls...
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Jul 12, 2011

botsana

thats bad and feel sad bc my aunt is lukng fo a baby
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Jul 12, 2011

MaLindo

Its really sad to read this kind of story and judging the perpetrators wont get us any where i think a lot need to be done we need to take a stand as the nation as mother, girls, daughter and granmother, to teach about self love and self understanding.

Elder stop to teach us the responsibility to young girl before and after puberty.makumele sikhuzwe kuthiwa uyingane awazi lutho when you fall pregnant you get ridiculed, in all sort of ways which lead to this kind of things. i personally feel still woman empowerment it not correctly directed if its not directed to young girls who are still discovering themselves. I have put done a plan, which need action
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Jul 12, 2011

Sandile84

Teenage pregnancy must be made illegal, that will solve a lot of problems. Poor people must only be allowed to have 1 child, if poor people have more kids then they mustn't receive child grants.
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Jul 12, 2011

devil

some bitchiiies are just so crazy u know very well from first month that you are pregnant but you just keep the babe in the last minutes you abandon the poor babe God punish you and rot in DEVIL
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Jul 12, 2011

TKay

@ Sandile84 - I agree 100% with you - Teenage pregnacy should be a criminal offence

Women!!! I give up - they are very very cruel
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