In an incident that left the community of Tshitanini, outside Thohoyandou, stunned, a five-day-old baby who had been dumped in a pit latrine miraculously survived and was rescued.
The incident, which is still the talk of the village, occurred on Saturday, 4 October, at around 08:00.
Information circulating in the community suggests that a woman had allegedly given birth and then threw the newborn into a pit latrine. Acting on a tip-off from residents, police went to a household in the village, where paramedics were summoned. They dug into the pit and successfully rescued the baby from the pile of human waste.
Vhembe SAPS spokesperson Warrant Officer Vuledzani Dathi said the newborn was still alive when found at the bottom of the pit toilet.
"We have since arrested a 38-year-old woman who is the mother. The baby's umbilical cord was already cut off, and the baby had a bruise mark on the forehead. The mother of the baby will appear before the Thohoyandou Magistrate's Court in due course, facing charges of child neglect and attempted murder," he said.