Foetus discarded in Imizamo Yethu

A dumped foetus was discovered in Imizamo Yethu this week, again placing the spotlight on a disturbing trend that has emerged in Hout Bay this year.

In June, two dumped foetuses were discovered within days of each other, one in the harbour precinct and the other in an open field in Imizamo Yethu. (“Concern over dumped foetuses,” Sentinel June 29).

For long-standing local welfare organisations, it was the first time employees had heard of this happening in Hout Bay.

But on Tuesday November 13, another foetus was discovered in Mandela Road near the green hall.

“A foetus was found in a bin by a small dumping site in Imizamo Yethu. This office would like to confirm that an inquest docket was opened after the incident was reported to SAPS,” said police spokesperson Warrant Officer Tanya Lesch.

Bronwyn Moore, director of Hout Bay-based Community Cohesion, which provides therapeutic sessions and assistance to people who have been victims of violence or crime, said it was tragic that young girls were opting to dump their unborn children, as options were available to them.

These options included free birth control, abortion and accessing workshops and seminars to equip them with the necessary parental skills.

Research by Dee Blackie, a consultant to the National Adoption Coalition of SA, has shown drug addiction and blessers were contributing factors to a woman’s decision to abandon her child. The practice in which young girls and women are bought expensive items by older men or “blessers” in return for sex has become widespread in Hout Bay.