The Eastern Cape Department of Social Development has raised concerns over the increasing number of infant abandonment cases in the province.

Since March 2024, nearly 40 infants have been abandoned, with the most recent case involving a week-old baby girl found in a plastic bag near a bridge in Mdantsane, East London.

Every year, over 10 000 babies are abandoned in South Africa, with the vast majority of them found dead, according to Baby Savers South Africa, a national coalition of organisations working to put an end to unsafe infant abandonment.

Department spokesperson Mpumzi Zuzile says many parents face difficulties and are often unsure of where to seek help when they cannot care for their children.

“We’ve got programs within the department that we have put up that if a parent or any person who feels that it’s too much of a strain to raise a child, they can bring that child to the department and the department would take that child and put that child in a place of safety,” Zuzile says.

He adds that the department has implemented initiatives to address this issue, including a parenting skills training program funded with R12.3 million.

“For instance, at the beginning of the year, there was some sort of—it wasn’t a controversy—where we have put aside R12.3 million to train parents on how to take care of their children,” Zuzile explains.

According to Law for All, child abandonment is a criminal offence, and a person who abandons a child after birth may be charged and prosecuted. Charges could include crimes such as concealment of birth and attempted murder.

The department continues to urge struggling parents to seek assistance rather than resort to abandoning their children.

Concerns over infant abandonment: