A newborn baby girl has survived after someone abandoned her inside a shopping bag in a bush in Oakford, KwaZulu-Natal.
Two people discovered the infant on Tuesday, 13 October, after hearing her cries while walking to a nearby tuckshop.
According to Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA), the pair followed the cries into a bush near several houses, where they discovered a Woolworths shopping bag.
They used scissors to cut open the bag and found the newborn wrapped in a black T-shirt.
The baby’s umbilical cord had been cut but remained untied. The placenta was also inside the bag.
Newborn baby found in good health
RUSA officers and paramedics responded to the scene and examined the infant.
Despite the circumstances, paramedics confirmed that the newborn was in good health.
Reaction officers questioned residents in the area in an attempt to establish who had abandoned the baby.
During their enquiries, a woman came forward with information that could help identify the person responsible.
Witness claims woman dumped bag a day earlier
The witness told first responders that she had seen a woman discarding a bag in the same bush on Monday afternoon, 12 October.
Her account raised questions about how long the newborn had remained inside the bag before her cries alerted the two passers-by.
However, RUSA has not confirmed when the baby was abandoned or whether the woman seen by the witness was her mother.
Search for newborn baby’s mother
Reaction officers continued their enquiries on Tuesday morning, gathering information about women in the area who may have recently given birth.
By 10:20, officers were still trying to establish the mother’s identity.
RUSA has appealed to anyone with information that could help identify or locate the woman to come forward.
The circumstances surrounding the baby’s abandonment remain unclear.