SEBOKENG – A teen mom allegedly helped herself give birth on Monday, December 04, in her family home in Small Farm.
Hours after the baby boy was born, she took a walk to dump the baby in an abandoned river project near Zone 7 stadium and left.
Residents who saw the new mother walk away from the scene went to probe and found a shopping bag with a baby in it, floating above the dirty sewer water before forking it out with a rake.
Moments before the residents opened the plastic, they heard a whimper of the naked baby.
Sedibeng Ster visited the scene a day after the gruesome discovery, Tuesday, December 5, to speak to eyewitnesses who discovered the baby.
While residents remained shocked, small groups gathered with chatters of what happened the day before.
One of the residents, Tumelo Tsotetsi explained what he saw before unveiling the shocking and traumatic finding.
“I was in the yard busy with work when I stopped for a smoke and a walk. I saw a suspicious young lady roaming around the abandoned project with a sports bag. Moments later, I approached her as she soaked her muddy feet in sewer water,” he said.
Tsotetsi said upon probing the lady, she claimed she was coming from her home, going to her dad.
“She seemed very suspicious, especially because she didn’t look well (healthy). I let her pass without further investigation. A neighbour came out and told me she saw her [teen mom] dump a plastic. We then proceeded to the sewer-filled river and found a baby inside the plastic,” he added.
Residents reported the findings on a WhatsApp group, and minutes after the finding, scores had gathered and looked on.
Ward Committee, Mandla Dipanyekga said they managed to trace the woman through another resident.
“As residents dispersed from the scene, another resident who overheard the conversation claimed to know the lady. We took elders from the community and paid the new mother a visit to Small Farm. We found her visibly shaken and traumatized,” he said.
According to Dipanyekga they questioned the lady and later took her to hospital for assistance.
“We are glad that we saved two lives than one. Despite seeing all that scary incident, the baby managed to get medical assistance so is the mother,” said Tsotetsi as the duo concluded the interview.
Resident contributed clothing and formula milk for the boy.
At the time of publish this story, police spokesperson had not responded to a media inquiry.