Mother charged with child neglect for leaving infant home alone

A Johannesburg woman has been charged with child neglect after allegedly leaving her four-month-old baby unattended for hours.

The woman had left the child alone in their flat in Berea. Neighbours became concerned when the screams of the child continued for hours on end‚ prompting them to call the police.

"The Johannesburg Metro Police Department responded to the residential area and found the baby abandoned. The mother was nowhere to be found‚" said Michael Sun‚ Councillor for Safety in Johannesburg. "She resurfaced five hours later‚" he added.

The mother was questioned and failed to explain where she had been. "She was taken to Hillbrow police station‚" said Sun.

The infant was given medical attention and later released to a relative.