The discovery of an abandoned newborn baby in Umhlali, on the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal, reiterated the need for baby boxes.
An alarm was activated on 6 October at the Umhlali Baby Box located at the Christ Church North Coast, alerting emergency services that a baby had been abandoned.
IPSS Medical Rescue and Project Life SA rushed to the scene and discovered that a baby boy had been abandoned by his mother.
Newborn baby found in good health
“A beautiful baby boy was found, warmly wrapped up in blankets. After a quick check-up by paramedics and alerting the relevant authorities, he was placed into the care of a loving family for the weekend,” said IPSS Medical Rescue spokesperson, Samantha Meyrick.
“To his mom, thank you for the care you took in placing him in the Baby Box, for loving him enough to choose his safety during what must be a difficult time,” Meyrick added.
The baby box programme was initiated by the Project Life SA and Baby Savers SA. It aims to prevent desperate mothers from abandoning their babies in unsafe spots.
The box is monitored 24/7, and mothers who abandon babies do not have their identities divulged.
The Umhlali baby box was set up two years ago. The first abandoned baby was discovered in June.
NGO, Open Arms SA, has urged the public to work to keep the baby box functional. The Department of Social Development has set plans in motion to criminalise baby saver initiatives like baby boxes.
The NGO encourages the public to visit the department’s website and add their comments in a bid to save the existence of baby boxes.
The Democratic Alliance’s Alexandra Abrahams said the department’s proposal will lead to more abandoned children and needless deaths across the country.
“In a deeply concerning move, the DSD has proposed redefining an ‘abandoned child’ to include any baby safely relinquished or placed in a baby saver. This would criminalise desperate mothers and the registered child protection organisations that have saved countless lives,” Abrahams said.
“We will not allow a culture in SA to exist where desperate mothers are forced to abandon their babies in unsafe locations such as fields, dumpsites and sewers, because the safe relinquishment and the operation of baby savers are criminalised,” she added.
The party further urged South Africans to submit their comment to the Department’s Children Amendment Bill, 2025, and express their objection.
