Kimberley -
The six-week-old baby who was raped, allegedly by her uncle, is reportedly doing well in hospital.
Although the infant is still in the Kimberley Hospital’s paediatric intensive care unit (ICU), recovering after emergency surgery to repair the damage caused during the attack, it is expected that she will be transferred to the general ward soon.
It was also reported that the baby, born last month on October 17, is not expected to require further surgery. She is no longer on the ventilator and by Thursday she was able to breastfeed.
Northern Cape Premier Sylvia Lucas and the Health MEC Mxolisi Sokatsha, on Thursday visited the baby’s mother and grandmother as they kept vigil at her bedside in the hospital’s paediatric ICU.
“The baby looked beautiful… the mother appeared strong and calm,” Lucas said. “However, it is obvious that she is still terrified. When asked about the perpetrator, her first question to us was whether he was going to come out of jail because she now fears that their lives will never be the same.”
Lucas added that the mother told her during the visit that her brother had threatened to kill both her and the baby on a previous occassion.
“On the night of the incident, he allegedly threatened her with a knife. He then took the baby and locked himself in his shack. The mother said she thought he was just making threats and never believed he was capable of doing it (raping the infant).”
Lucas added that “on the outside” both the mother and the grandmother “looked fine but emotionally it is obvious that they are not fine, because how can you expect them not to be broken after this”.
She added that they would need trauma counselling to deal with the ordeal.
“The hospital staff are monitoring the baby very well. She is getting the best treatment possible.”
Spokeswoman for Health Department, Lulu Mxekezo, said the “department confirms that the young patient is still in the paediatric ICU and a slight improvement in her condition was noted”.
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