Security officer Chris Pillay's quick actions saved a newborn baby girl from a storm-water drain death and led to the arrest of her mother for child abandonment

The 32-year-old woman is scheduled to appear in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court today on charges of child abandonment.

She allegedly dumped her newborn baby girl in a stormwater drain in Wick Street in Verulam.

On Sunday, Chris Pillay, an officer from Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa), was stopped by a pedestrian, who heard noises from a stormwater drain and believed an animal was stuck.

Pillay saw a black bin bag in the drain and removed it only to find a 2.2kg newborn.

“Rusa paramedics arrived on the scene and removed wet and soiled clothing from the baby. A dry uniform jacket was placed around the baby girl, while she was transported to Osindisweni Government Hospital (OGH). A cotton swab was found on the child's arm. Paramedics believe she had been recently discharged from a medical facility," said Prem Balram, the head of Rusa.

Balram said it is always heartbreaking to deal with issues with children.

“We deal with hard-core crime on a daily basis. We see bodies, train accidents, murders, shootings and assassinations almost daily. But seeing a child being thrown away in this manner is quite heartbreaking.

“The baby was crying hysterically and shivering. Apart from her diaper, she was not wearing much. The baby was visibly traumatised after being thrown on the floor against a concrete manhole cover. My officers have all been offered counselling to help them cope with the trauma of such incidents,” said Balram.

He said this was not the first baby that Pillay had rescued.

“Chris has been with us for 20 years and over the years he has found several babies. A few years ago, he found a baby in an apple box that had been thrown at dump site. The child was named Apple. Chris has found about four babies to date.

“He was given a certificate of outstanding performance for saving the child's life. It is always heart-warming when we manage to save the child’s life. In this incident, the baby was rescued minutes before a heavy downpour. She was saved from certain death,” said Balram.

He said while it was not part of their job, they often kept track of the babies they had rescued.

“We are still in contact with some of the children we rescued 20 years ago. The kids we found in bin packets hug us when they see us now.

“As per our rules, we don’t allow any of our staff to bond emotionally with any recovered child. When the rescue is over, when we hand them over to the authorities to do the rest. We talk about it, but we discourage having bonds,” said Balram.

He said the baby girl was now doing well.

“The baby, to the best of my knowledge, is fine. We got between 80 and 100 calls from people asking to adopt her. Many have also offered donations for the child’s upkeep,” said Balram.

He said they found the mother 17 hours later.

Staff at a medical centre had contacted their offices after the story went viral on social media. They said the baby looked similar to one that was born in their care.

The mother was arrested in Hazelmere.

Balram said she was found with her friend's passport and a plastic hospital tag.

“The woman explained that she had entered the country illegally in 2022. She left an 11-year-old and 5-year-old child back in Maseru to seek employment in South Africa.

“She was employed as a machinist at a textile business and became pregnant with her third child. During her pregnancy, her boyfriend disputed the paternity of the child.

“According to the woman, when the child was delivered, the man refused to communicate with her. She added that she placed the baby in a black bin bag and intended on pushing it into the storm water drain. While approaching the drain, she threw the baby in the direction of a manhole when a vehicle approached. She then fled the area."

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