A 17-year-old mother accused of abandoning her six-month-old baby near the overhead bridge at Eteni has been arrested and released into the custody of her parents following intervention by social workers.
The baby girl was found abandoned near the bridge on Sunday morning at around 9:30am.
The infant, was found wrapped in a blanket. Beside her was a khaki bag containing clothes, diapers and a small quantity of food. Following the discovery, the police launched an investigation to identify the baby and trace her family.
During the investigation, the police traced the baby’s mother to Mbhuleni, where she was allegedly hiding. She was subsequently arrested.
However, the teenager was later released after police consulted social workers, who advised that she should not be detained and should instead be placed in the custody of her parents.
The teenager’s name is known to this publication but has been withheld because she is a minor.
Sources said the teenager told social workers that she had been left without adequate support to care for the baby.
She allegedly explained that she was raising the child as a single parent and that the baby had previously been staying with her mother.
However, the teenager said her mother had since developed a mental health condition and was admitted to the National Psychiatric Referral Hospital, leaving her without the assistance she had relied on to care for the infant.
According to the sources, the teenager told social workers that the lack of support ultimately led to the baby being abandoned.
Social workers are now assessing the teenager’s circumstances and the welfare of the child.
Chief Police Information and Communication Officer, Senior Superintendent Phindile Zwane confirmed the incident.
Zwane said police had arrested a 17-year-old girl in connection with the alleged abandonment of her six-month-old baby.
“Upon arresting the suspect, we discovered that she was a 17-year-old minor. We immediately engaged social workers, who advised that she should not be detained and should instead be released into the custody of her parents,” she said.
Zwane said the teenager is expected to appear in court today.
The matter remains under investigation.
