Kimberley - The gruesome discovery of an infant’s body at the Gogga Sewage Pump Station in Kimberley on the weekend, has prompted calls for girls and women who are facing a difficult choice to seek assistance and for the general public to help them wherever possible.
This comes while police attempt to trace the mother of a very young child whose body was found by two workers at the facility shortly after lunchtime on Saturday.
After alerting members of the SAPS about their find, Stewart Jampies and David Solani said on Saturday that while this was not the first time that the bodies of newborn babies and foetuses had been found at the facility, it had not happened recently and there was little that could have prepared them for the discovery.
“We found the body just before 2pm but there is not really anyway to pinpoint exactly where it came from,” they said on the scene on Saturday while waiting for the body to be removed from the sewage works.
“It hasn’t really happened in a long time but there have been similar cases where the body was flushed into the system and ended up here.”
The spokesperson for the Sol Plaatje Local Municipality, Sello Matsie, said that the municipality was shocked and saddened by the incident, which is currently subject to a criminal investigation.
“Such incidents are traumatic for all concerned, including our workers,” Matsie said yesterday.
“We cannot really comment on where the child may have come from, as this is being investigated by the police.
“However, we would like to urge the public to assist if they are aware of any cases where they suspect that unwanted pregnancies might have dire repercussions.
“We would also like to encourage those who might require counselling to get the help they need.
“The sewer is not for unwanted pregnancies but we are asking that professionals, parents, councillors and the general public work together towards addressing this problem.”
The police had not responded to media enquiries by the time of going to press.