Mom of baby found in stormwater drain appears briefly in court

The family of the Durban woman accused of dumping her baby in a storm water drain formed a ring of protection around her on Tuesday.

Surrounded by them, she smiled and chatted as she waited for her turn in the dock at the Ntuzuma magistrate's court.

Her family has closely guarded her privacy during her appearances, despite an earlier court ruling that she can't be photographed or named due to the sensitive nature of the case.

Dressed in a black leather jacket and jeans, the woman stood in the dock for about a minute.

Her lawyer Jacques Botha asked the court for the matter to be adjourned. The case was postponed to August 20 and her bail was extended.

"The case was postponed for outcomes of representations I have made. It basically means that I have asked them to take into consideration various factors regarding my client," he told TimesLIVE.

Botha said he could not discuss what those factors were.

Earlier this month the 32-year-old woman, charged with attempted murder, was granted supervised visits with the child, now five months old.

This followed a dramatic four-hour rescue of the newborn baby in February after she was dumped in a stormwater drain.

The baby, named Sibanisethu by community members, is currently being kept in a place of safety. The woman is allowed to see the baby under social workers' supervision.

The man who is believed to be the father of the baby was not present in court for Tuesday's appearance. However, he did attend during her previous appearance.

The man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the baby, told TimesLIVE previously that despite his extra-marital affair with the mother of the baby, he and his wife were eager to give the child a home.