Ntwaagae Seleka

Ntwaagae Seleka

Baby Palesa Mgcina was born to be a policewoman. Well, that's what she'll be if her mother has her way.

Baby Mgcina was born in the early hours of Monday morning at Evaton police station after her mother was turned away by security guards at the Levy Mbatha clinic.

Talking to Sowetan from her home in Evaton, the baby's mother, Sophie Mgcina, said that at about 4am on Monday she started experiencing labour pains.

The 28-year-old, who lives with her parents, asked her father to drive her to the local clinic.

Mgcina said that on their arrival at the clinic's gate the guards refused her entry. They said there were no nurses on duty at that time of the morning.

"My pains were very close and severe. There wasn't enough petrol in the car to take me to Sebokeng Hospital so my father decided to drive me to the nearby police station," said Mgcina.

When they arrived, the police made numerous calls to try to get an ambulance for her, but to no avail.

With the situation critical, Evaton police station's Inspector Patricia Malindi decided to take matters into her own hands.

She led Mgcina from the charge office into a room and helped her give birth.

After a few minutes the two women emerged with a bouncing baby girl named Palesa, which means "a flower".

Only then did the ambulance arrive and take the mother and daughter to hospital.

The thankful Mgcina said she hoped that one day her daughter would be a policewoman so that she could help others.

Malindi said this was the third occasion on which she had acted as a midwife.