Child protection advocates are calling for urgent amendments to South Africa’s Children’s Act following two baby abandonment cases reported just 48 hours apart on the Cape Flats. The incidents have renewed concern about baby dumping and the lack of safe, legal alternatives for mothers and girls in crisis, exposing ongoing gaps in the country’s child protection system.
Sandy Immelman, founder of Helderberg Baby Saver and a board member of Baby Savers SA, said the cases reflect deep levels of desperation.
“It’s very hard to imagine how desperate one must be,” she said, adding that young women should not reach such a point without support systems in place.
Immelman stressed the importance of responsibility and support structures for vulnerable mothers. “Where is the father? And secondly, what about the family and community?” she said. “They often feel that they can’t turn to anyone for assistance.”
She argues that the absence of legal safe relinquishment options contributes to unsafe abandonments and said Baby Savers SA is currently in court seeking formal recognition of such systems.
Immelman said more than 40 baby saver sites exist across South Africa, although some have faced challenges from authorities.
“The baby saver that I founded, Helderberg Baby Saver, was opened back in 2014,” she said, adding that legal uncertainty makes public awareness difficult.
She describes baby savers as anonymous, secure, last-resort options designed to protect infants.
“A baby saver is exactly that. It’s a box that does not have any cameras. It’s anonymous,” Immelman explained. Once a baby is placed inside, an alert is triggered, and responders collect the child for medical care and placement within the child protection system.
“They are going to be kept safe. Their lives are going to be saved,” she said, noting that children may later be placed in temporary care or adopted if no family comes forward.
Listen to the full interview below:
VOC News
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