As police investigate the abandonment of a newborn baby girl, who was later found deceased in Grassy Park, another similar report has come to light. 

Ward 45 councillor, Many Marr, announced on social media that the body of a baby was found on Vrygrond Avenue in Vrygrond on Monday morning. 

“Please stay clear of the area while emergency services remain on the scene to conduct their investigation,” said Marr.  

Police confirmed that a foetus was discovered while members of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) were working in the area.

“She was busy cleaning the area (open field on Vryground Avenue) when she was pulling the dirt using a rake and between the dirt appeared the foetus. The motive is believed to be concealment of birth,” said Western Cape Police spokesperson, Captain FC Van Wyk.

Meanwhile, the Western Cape SAPS have yet to confirm if there’s been any development in a child abandonment case from Grassy Park. 

This case initially came to light on Saturday, when community social media channels began circulating a missing person’s report for a newborn baby girl. According to the poster, the baby was last seen with her mother, who had later that day returned to her Lotus River home without the baby.  

Western Cape SAPS spokesperson, Sergeant Wesley Twigg, confirmed that a child abandonment case had been opened, and a 31-year-old woman arrested. At the time, police said she would appear in the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court once charged.  

On Sunday, Twigg confirmed that the baby was found deceased in a stormwater drain on the corner of 2nd Avenue and Antelope Street, Lotus River.  

The suspect was also confirmed to be the infant’s mother. 

“The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation. The mother of the child remains in custody,” said Twigg on Sunday.  

The Grassy Park Community Policing Forum’s Nicole Jacobus noted that the group was also involved in the search for the baby on Saturday evening and was shocked by the news. 

“I would like to urge the community to please respect the family and not make any speculations around the incident. As we know, the incident is under investigation at this stage,” said Jacobus.  

In response to enquiries on when the suspect is due in court and if the charges against her had changed, considering the baby’s confirmed death, this is what the SAPS had to say: 

“Kindly be advised that this office will inform you once the charge has been officially change[d],” said Twigg, in correspondence with SmileFM on Monday morning.  

The civil rights group, Action Society, said this case must place heightened focus on the protection of children. Head of the organisation Action Centre, Kaylynn Palm, called for a thorough and urgent investigation.  

“This child was only a day old and lost her life under heartbreaking circumstances, a life that had barely begun… When a child’s life is lost in this way, it raises urgent questions about how we, as a society, are failing to protect our most defenceless. While the circumstances surrounding this incident remain under investigation, the reality is that this baby did not get the chance to live, to be safe, or to be protected,” said Palm.  

She also noted that “this cannot become just another case”.  

“This tragedy highlights the need for stronger systems that identify and protect at-risk children from the very beginning of their lives… Every child matters, and every child deserves a chance to live and be safe.” 

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*This article has been updated to include comment by the Western Cape SAPS Media Office regarding the incident in Vrygrond.