A botched abortion led to the discovery of dozens of aborted foetuses and body parts in bags stuffed into the chest freezer in the practice of a deregistered Pretoria doctor.

Also seized was hospital theatre medication, including anesthetics.

The discovery has shone a light on illegal abortions and on government and the Health Professional Council of SA (HPCSA)'s inability to stop deregistered doctors from practicing.

Health Department spokesman, Joe Maila, said illegal abortions were rife.

Dr Eddie Mhlanga, Mpumalanga health department's obstetrics and gynaecology specialist, said for every natural miscarriage or abortion in hospital, five women would come to hospital with complications from illegal abortions.

The department's latest abortion figures show that in 2012-2013 financial year, 89124 legal abortions were performed. On Tuesday police and HPCSA inspectors arrested the doctor, who was deregistered in 2008, after a patient was rushed to hospital by relatives following a botched abortion. Police said what they found was a "nightmare". "They were like tiny little people, except they weren't treated like humans. They were scrunched up in plastic bags. We counted over 22." He said the seized medication was stolen from Gauteng government hospitals. HPCSA spokesman, Priscilla Sekhonyana, said the doctor was deregistered for failing to pay her council fees.

Police spokesman, Captain Thomas Mufamadi, said the woman had been charged with illegal possession of human body parts and scheduled medication.