Johannesburg - The two children who were swapped at birth at a hospital in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg, were slowly being introduced to their biological families, a child law expert said on Wednesday.
Both the two children, aged four, and their parents were receiving counselling.
“Any possibility of contact by the parents with their biological children will be managed by the team at the Child, Adolescent and Family Unit,” Ann Skelton, Head of the Centre for Child Law at the University of Pretoria, told Sapa.
The mothers were being introduced to their children, and the children to each other.
“The mothers and children are already undergoing a treatment plan by the Child Adolescent and Family Unit at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital,” said Skelton.
She had been appointed by the High Court in Pretoria to investigate the incident and to make recommendations.
Her comments stem from a report that she compiled and handed to the court.
A team of experts, headed by a psychologist, were also working with the families involved.
A boy and girl were swapped at birth at the Tambo Memorial Hospital in Boksburg in the East Rand on August 2, 2010.
The parents have since agreed to keep the children that they had raised, despite one of the mothers who initially wanted her biological child back.
The baby swapping incident came to light when one of the fathers demanded a paternity test and it was discovered that neither parent was a biological parent.
According to Skelton's report, the midwife that attended to both mothers at the time of the children's birth allegedly swapped the name tags and files of the children by accident.
The hospital was also alleged to have been busy on the day with a few staff present.
Sapa