Cases of abandoned babies indicate deeper social crisis

[00:00:00]The discovery of another infant in Hanover Park has renewed concerns over the growing number of newborn babies found dead in Cape Town. The body was found buried in a shallow grave on Sunday, bringing the number of similar discoveries this year to at least six.

[00:00:16]Child protection organizations are now calling for greater intervention, warning the cases point to a deeper social crisis. eNCA's Nasiphi Samie is tracking the story for us. Um incredibly disturbing. Uh one can't imagine um the people who actually make these discoveries, Nasiphi, how shocking it must be. But talk to us about this issue of a deeper social crisis and how that is involved in what's unfolding there.

[00:00:45]>> Well, Michelle, it's a an indeed uh concerning trend that we are seeing uh in Cape Town um and not just the province. Um unfortunately for us, we will have an opportunity as the day progresses to have an opportunity to have a sit-down conversation uh with the various organizations, but also uh with a psychologist perhaps to help us unpack uh the trends that uh crime fighters are picking up. And that is in regards to uh the newborn babies that are found not only dead, but dumped um at dumping sites. And this particular case that you're referring to in Hanover Park, we understand uh police are not only investigating, but have made a breakthrough in that that particular um uh incident where a newborn baby was found wrapped in a plastic um and uh buried in a shallow grave. That a 22-year-old and 22-year-old female, rather, and a 35-year-old male were arrested, and police we understand are investigating a uh crime or case of concealment of a of birth. Um and this follows that discovery on Sunday evening. But to talk to us more, I'm joined, uh, by somebody from, uh, Fight Against Crime South Africa, an organization that monitors and tracks, you know, uh, gang incidents of crime that happens on the Cape Flats. Uh, but, um, you were telling me that, uh, you have been tracking the data since the beginning of the year, and, uh, the data that I have, I'm counting about six since the start of 2026.

[00:02:26]>> Okay, we, as Fight Against Crime, have report, um, calculated 10 to date. And then this morning we were found that there was another one that we didn't know of.

[00:02:38]Um, the 10 cases that we do have spreads from the 19th of January.

[00:02:45]That was in Mitchells Plain. And then we have in Luandle, we have in Parkwood, Fair Ground, Lotus River, and to date, yes, um, on Sunday we had one in Hanover Park, but that was a bit it was scary because that baby was not just dumped, it was buried as well.

[00:03:07]Um, we have, um, come to to the conclusion that, um, these these, um, cases comes from I wouldn't say informal settlements at at at once, but, um, like in Hanover Park, for instance, that was the first time that we've actually seen, um, something like this because never in Hanover Park did we ever see of a baby that was dumped.

[00:03:36]Um, maybe stillborn, yes, but it was reported to authorities, etc. But this one, it it scared the community. They were frustrated, they were in shock. It was just it's And all the babies to date they easily even now like this morning we found that the one in um Samoa was found between rubble.

[00:04:02]And I don't understand why they cannot just go to hospitals or or put them in safe boxes at at some organizations that has that type of um um boxes that's available and safe for because the end of the day these babies they their lives matter, too.

[00:04:25]You know?

[00:04:27]>> On that note, uh Queenie, I mean, looking at this data, um there's several communities uh that you're flagging, but is there a community where there's been more than one incident reported to the CEO alone?

[00:04:40]>> Of the 11, of course. Yes, in Kraaifontein we had three um dumped baby bodies. Um two in one day. One was in Welkom and one was found in a um in a drain.

[00:04:54]And then a few days later there was another one discovered in a bin.

[00:04:58]So, I would say these are poverty-stricken areas. It could be youth that doesn't have any way to support those babies.

[00:05:08]And it could also be social ills.

[00:05:11]Um because life is life is difficult these days. So, having a baby is costly.

[00:05:18]So, it could be maybe depression. It could be fear of society.

[00:05:25]Fear of the parents that maybe doesn't know.

[00:05:29]So, um most cases it's concealment of birth cases, but there are cases that we also don't know about. So, this 11 cases to date is only what was recorded with us as for our fight against crime South Africa.

[00:05:46]So, there are many more that might not have been reported, and those bodies are probably still laying somewhere on the open field.

[00:05:55]>> Um we'll have to leave it there, but uh concerning number, I mean, Michelle, I was talking of six that I'm aware of. Um but we're now hearing from the organization that actually monitors crime, uh particularly on the Cape Flats within the city of Cape Town, that they are currently recording uh 11. So, if you think of it, I mean, we are in the 7th month of this year, um possibly like one or maybe even two um uh uh newborn babies that are discovered, and uh we're speaking um earlier on, and um Shadia was indicating to us that the trend that they're also picking up is apart from the fact that it's disadvantaged communities that are grappling with a number of social ills, uh these babies are not only um put in plastic bags, but dumped um in uh open spaces, dumping sites, and most of the time they are discovered by EPWP workers that are cleaning in these communities, and something that she also indicated there is that uh you know, the reasons behind it could be possibly layered. Um apart from the social ills, possibly, you know, um one might need psychosocial support. Um unfortunately, we will be, you know, having that conversation uh with an expert or a a clinical psychologist, perhaps, that might be able to paint a clearer picture when it comes to this particular troubling trend. But speaking to the community also in Hanover Park, um you know, one gentleman who was at the scene indicated to us that uh he is concerned um about not only the discovery, but the fact that there are, you know, uh uh available assistance, and it doesn't seem um that people are taking up those options that have been presented by government.

[00:07:49]>> So, the