An immigration officer got the shock of his life two weeks ago when he discovered a newborn baby in a dustbin at the Beit Bridge Border Post.

Police and the emergency staff were immediately summoned to the scene and the baby was sent to Messina Hospital, where she is being taken care of.

The baby, who has now become the darling of nurses at the hospital, has been kept at the hospital’s maternity ward. Nurses have named her Nyimelo, a Venda word which means "situation".

W/O Peter Mudau of the Musina SAPS confirmed the incident and added that police were still looking for the mother of the baby. “We received the shocking news that a baby was discovered in a dustbin and we rushed there. The baby was covered in a plastic bag, and we thank God that she did not suffocate. We took the baby to Messina Hospital, where she is being taken care of.”

Mudau encouraged mothers with problems not to dump their babies. “Mothers should look for professional help. Our social workers are always there to assist. The law will never be lenient on parents who dump babies because it is a very serious offence. We appeal to community members to assist us in tracing the mother of this baby, so that she can answer for her actions in a court of law.”