Pertunia Ratsatsi

Tembisa residents woke up to a chilling discovery at the weekend when they found children playing with the body parts of a dead newborn baby.

The incident happened at the Freedom Square informal settlement on Sunday.

Police spokesman in the area Captain Manyadza Ralidzhivha said three children aged 4, 5 and 6 years old were playing near a dumping place when they found a black plastic bag.

The bag was filled with blood and a baby whose body parts where cut into pieces.

Under the impression that the parts were that of a doll, the children removed the baby's arms, head and intestines from the plastic.

They took the parts to a nearby empty shack and began playing with them.

Ralidzhivha said: "After a while, a neighbour went to check on the children as they were alone in the shack.

"He saw one of the kids holding a hand and when he looked closer, he realised it was a human hand," said Ralidzhivha.

He said when the neighbour asked where they had found the "toys", they took him to the place where they had found the plastic bag.

The man then raised the alarm and the community called the police.

The body parts were taken to a local government mortuary.

"Our constitution allows people to have abortions at clinics and hospitals. People should stop killing innocent children, but rather give the children up for adoption," said Ralidzhivha.

A case of concealment of birth has been opened.