Abandoned newborn baby found, mother arrested in Mpumalanga

A 37-year-old woman is expected to appear in the Belfast magistrate's court on Tuesday on a charge of child neglect after a newborn baby was found abandoned in the bushes next  to a railway track in Dullstroom on Sunday afternoon.

“Police received a call from a concerned caller ... that he saw something wrapped like a baby. On arrival, it was confirmed that it was a baby and police summoned the medical services who took the baby to hospital,” Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brig Selvy Mohlala said.

The investigation led the police to the mother of the baby boy, who was arrested and charged.

Mpumalanga police commissioner Lt-Gen Semakaleng Daphney Manamela welcomed the arrest and condemned the mother's action.

“We urge those who feel burdened by the responsibility of bringing up children to consider approaching the relevant social services where such children can be given up for adoption rather than dumping them.”

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