THE Department of Social Development has condemned the rise in the number of abandoned babies found dead.

Spokesperson Lumka Oliphant said it was regrettable that many women opted to abandon their babies instead of considering other options.

In the North West in the past two months alone, four newborn babies have been found dead and dumped. In one gory incident, one of the babies was seen being eaten by a pig near Kolong River in Taung.

In Tlhabane, near Rustenburg, two babies were found dumped in a space of just two days. On July 19 in Oukasie, Tlhabane, children playing on the street discovered a baby's body.

Police said the baby was in a black refuse bag. The unsuspecting children first saw an umbilical cord from the bag and then discovered a baby inside.

Two days later, also in Oukasie, a municipal worker was collecting refuse when she came across a box with a plastic bag with a baby inside.

Police said the woman tried to remove the plastic bag from the box and found it was heavy.

She became worried when she saw blood coming from the bag. She opened the bag and saw the baby, with the placenta on top of it. She then alerted the police.

On August 30, three Zimbabwean women were arrested for murder after a baby was found in a pit toilet in Motlhabeng village near Mafikeng.

Rose Magori, 22, allegedly gave birth to a baby boy and later, together with her aunt Essiniah Nqwomhozi and her aunt's friend Jane Kapasauro, decided to throw the baby away.

"While she was still pregnant, her aunt apparently referred her to a backyard clinic practitioner," said North West police spokesperson Lesego Metsi.

"The practitioner is reported to have given Magori a concoction to drink, with the hope that, after drinking it, the baby would be aborted. However, when it was born, the baby was healthy and the ladies decided to throw him in the pit toilet instead."