A 40-YEAR-OLD woman has been arrested after the body of a 9-month-old baby boy was found stuffed in a plastic bag after he had allegedly been drowned.
At a time where joy and laughter are expected to be the order of the day, a Vrygrond community has been left reeling from the murder of a baby.
According to police, the gruesome discovery was made on an open field in Vrygrond near Lavender Hill at around 10am on Monday after a relative of the woman in police custody alerted residents to what transpired over the weekend.
Activist and director of Where Rainbows Meet, Mymoena Scholtz told Weekend Argus she rushed to the scene after being informed of what had happened.
“We got to the scene where the baby was buried; he was inside a plastic bag. The police didn't even have to dig deep to find him,” said Scholtz.
According to the activist, a family member of the accused approached her to tell her about the moments leading up to the baby’s death and also went with to point out where he was buried.
“According to the family member, the baby wasn't even biologically the accused’s baby. He was given to the accused by the mother when he was born in March and he has been abused for months on end,” she said.
“On Friday, the accused apparently drowned the baby in front of the family member. The witness then tried resuscitating the baby, begging the accused to call an ambulance, but the accused refused.
“She was then forced to walk with the accused to the place where the baby was buried because the accused ’wanted to keep an eye on the witness’.”
Scholtz added that the family member feared for her life and went along with the accused, also knowing that she would be able to later inform the police where the baby was dumped.
“She couldn't come out immediately because she was being threatened and followed by the accused, but she got a gap when the accused went to the hospital on Monday,” she added.
“We then went to the scene where we found the baby, apparently with a broken arm as well. The accused was arrested at the hospital.”
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi confirmed officers attended to a crime scene near a field on Vrygrond Avenue on Monday morning.
“Upon digging in the identified vicinity, a plastic bag was recovered in a shallow grave containing the body of an unknown unknown baby boy. The victim, a 9-month-old boy, (was) declared deceased on the scene by the medical personnel,” he said.
“A 40-year-old women has been arrested and detained. Once charged she will make a court appearance in the Simon’s Town Magistrate’s Court on a charge of murder.”
Scholtz said she hopes that the law has a bit of mercy on the family member, who is going for counselling.
“Its very traumatising to even begin to think what this child must've gone through. It must also be traumatising for the family member who fears for her life,” she added.
Scholtz urged all mothers who can't take care of their babies or who feel that there's too much going on or feels they not in the right mental state to care for their young to come forward.