Alfred Moselakgomo
Alfred Moselakgomo
Since Sowetan published the story about a baby abandoned in the bush last week, the newspaper has been inundated with phone calls from people wanting to adopt the tiny tot.
Sowetan reported that the naked baby girl was found at GaMaria, near Marapyane in Mpumalanga by two young boys who were checking on a snare they had set to trap a wild animal.
Since Sowetan published the story, people from Pretoria, KwaZulu-Natal and Johannesburg have called wanting to know if they can adopt the baby.
Lucas Ngobeni, a father of three from Soshanguve, said: "I have always wanted the opportunity to change people's lives. Please help me make a difference in this child's life."
Zodwa Nkosi, from Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal, asked: "I want to help her. What must I do to get her?"
Mpho Gabashane, spokesman for Mpumalanga's health and social services department, said the adoption process could not begin until police had completed their investigation.
"The child is being cared for by social workers," said Gabashane.
Adoption follows a very stringent process and potential adoptive parents have to prove to the state that they would be fit and suitable parents. It can also be a long and arduous process.