Buhle, a 10-month-old baby, clutched a beer bottle cap for comfort while she cried her heart out for her mother.
Her twin sister and two-year-old siblings, also twins, were confused but not as upset as Buhle. They woke up on Wednesday morning in their Durban house to find their mother had disappeared.
The landlady heard their cries and fed them porridge while praying the mother would return.
By midday, the mother had not come back and the landlady had no choice but to approach the police for help.
Somewhere along their journey from their home to the Isiaiah 54 Children's Sanctuary, someone gave Buhle a beer bottle cap which she held onto “like her life depended on it”.
The four children spent one night at the sanctuary before social workers found a place for them.
The sanctuary’s Youandi Gilain told TimesLIVE Premium abandoned children were sent to the home almost daily.
“We get these sort of cases often. Too often, it's not every now and then. It's nearly daily. It's heartbreaking that so many mothers feel that abandoning their babies is their only option.
“This year we started already being full so no placements were made with us at all. But we have had 23 babies stay with us until the police or social workers could find them long-term placement. Though we are full, we are always ready to help when there is a need. We cannot say no to a baby or child that never chooses to be in that situation.”
Mothers abandoned their babies due to the rising cost of living, unemployment, no support system, rape or gender-based violence.
“If mommies feel they are unable to keep their baby, there is help. There are organisations that will help and connect them with social workers who can assist. One of those organisations is my own project called Open Arms South Africa which I run from Isiaiah 54 Children's Sanctuary.
“It is an online help desk for pregnant girls and birth mothers. I tell them their options so they can make informed decisions for themselves and their baby.
“Our baby saver is at 5 Vimy Road on the Bluff and easy to find. You open the door, place your baby inside, say your goodbyes, close the door and walk away. A silent alarm will go off which notifies us on our phone that a baby has been placed inside the baby saver. We will contact the social worker and medical team to make sure the baby is healthy and we will love the baby from the start,” she said.
Baby Savers South Africa co-founder and director of Door of Hope Nadene Grabham said at least 25 babies were saved through baby savers so far this year.
“Since the start of this year 60 articles have been published about babies unsafely abandoned. In 41 of these articles the babies were found dead. How many abandoned babies are never found or never make the news? Research from 2010 and 2016 shows about 3,500 babies survive unsafe abandonment every year and for every baby found alive, two are found dead,” she said.
In January last year Baby Savers SA presented a proposal to parliament about introducing the option of safe relinquishment.
“The proposal to government is still pending. Unfortunately there are no safe haven laws in South Africa and lack of places of support such as crisis pregnancy centres, welfare agencies and baby savers, especially in rural and poverty-stricken areas, leave parents with hardly any options. Until such time as these important issues are resolved, we will continue to read or hear about stories of babies being unsafely or safely abandoned.
“Baby savers are a last resort, where all other options have failed. A baby saver is a safe alternative to unsafe abandonment. Is it not better to find a baby safely relinquished in a baby saver than finding that baby dead in a trash can or pit latrine?” asked Grabham.
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