Pretoria - The gruesome discovery of four foetuses dumped in a drain in Pretoria West has left police rattled.
Residents have, however, said they were not shocked by the findings as the marshland behind the Quagga Centre was a hub of criminal activity.
A child noticed a plastic bag sticking out from a stormwater drain on the Court Street edge of the marshland and screamed at the sight of its contents.
Police and emergency services were called.
Xandre Loubsher, spokesman for Best Care Ambulance, said a team from the service arrived at the scene and pulled another three bags out of the drain.
“Inside the bags were the foetuses.
“The blood on them was still fresh.
“There were three female and one male foetus. They were all declared dead on the scene.”
Loubsher believed that the foetuses came from underground abortion clinics.
Police confirmed the find, but said they could not speculate where the foetuses had come from.
Residents said they were at their wits’ end with criminal activities in the area.
They did not want to give their names to the Pretoria News for fear of victimisation.
“There is a lot going on down here (at the marshland),” a resident said.
“There are many vagrants living there and the number increases daily. There are men and women of all races. They are all drug addicts and harass us to get money or anything they can sell.
“They have even stolen our gate to sell to a scrap metal shop.”
Another resident said she was tired of the robberies and thefts at her home.
“Police do nothing. If you complain these vagrants just come after you again.”
According to the residents, prostitution is also rife at the wetland.
They say the screams of women being raped or robbed at night are a common occurrence.
The residents called on the police to act to rid the area of vagrants once and for all.
Pretoria News