A 32-year-old Mitchells Plain mother will appear in court today for the murder of her 28-day-old baby.
It is alleged the mother choked her newborn to death and hid him under a mattress at the weekend.
She has four other children.
The provincial Department of Social Development said they would be assisting the police with the investigation.
Department MEC Albert Fritz said: “Social workers from our local Mitchells Plain office have intervened to protect the other four children.
"We condemn this brutal murder as well as the alleged circumstances of this incident in the strongest terms possible.
"That the alleged murderer is the mother of the baby is most outrageous.”
Mitchells Plain Community Policing Forum spokesperson Abie Isaacs said they, too, condemned the incident.
“We believe the suspect has been apprehended and we ask for a full and speedy investigation,” said Isaacs.
Fritz appealed to expectant mothers and fathers and parents of newborn children to approach social workers for assistance and in family planning interventions.
“This service from the department is available to anyone who may find themselves experiencing emotional or physical difficulty in raising their child,” he said.
A study last year conducted by the Medical Research Council showed that South Africa had a neo-naticide rate of 19 per 100 000 live births.
Fritz said ensuring the safety and care of children required a whole-of-society approach.
“Child protection is everybody's responsibility.
"If you see something, say something,” he said.
Abandoned, abused, neglected or missing children can be reported to police or to the department's hotline at 0800220250.