Baby found dead in a shack: Drug addict mom in rehab, ‘aggressively refused’ earlier help
UNBELIEVABLE: A three-month-old baby girl died in this makeshift hok
A young Elsies River mom, whose three-month-old baby girl died tragically in a makeshift shack this week, has been booked into a rehab centre.
The death of baby Cherife Danielle Klaase caused a stir in Leonsdale on Wednesday morning when she was found dead in her mother’s hokkie.
According to a statement by the Elsies River Community Police Forum (CPF), the baby was left in those conditions as her mother was a well-known drug addict who had left her home.
CPF spokesperson Imraahn Mukaddam says: “We don’t know what caused the death but as the community of Elsies River, we should all plead guilty for allowing this to happen.
“We fail our most vulnerable by looking the other way. Often we look the other way when we witness crime.
“We say we are scared to speak out and many times rightly so, but when we look the other way it’s because it’s not our problem, it does not affect us or we just don’t care, then everyone who knew and did nothing, or did not do enough, then we have to take collective blame for our failure.”
Ward councillor Franchesca Walker was called to the scene at 11.30am, when the mother was found drugged up and seemingly unaware that her daughter had died.
“I arrived on the scene at 11.30am and it was already cordoned off,” Walker says.
“They took me inside the shack and I saw the baby and she just appeared to be sleeping, and the paramedics declared her deceased.
“It is not a murder as they explained, and a post mortem must be done to determine the cause of death.”
Walker adds that the mother of three had been offered help many times by social workers, but aggressively refused the assistance.
“She is from Leonsdale and erected that shack on Francie van Zyl, where she stayed with her baby because she did not want to be at home due to the drug abuse.
“The City’s social development had been to her but she often refused help and became aggressive.
“We even have proof to show that she was through the programme but fell back into drugs,” Walker says.
“Thanks to the help of Sister Magda Kleyn, she has been booked into the Tehillah Centre and will now go for rehabilitation.
“This is a tragedy but with the mayoral burial fund, we are assisting with the funeral of the baby.
“The mom is in a state and on Wednesday night we could see she is confused,” she adds.
“When her breasts got full, she ran to breastfeed the child, not realising the baby had passed on.”
Walker says the death sparked a visit from Human Rights Commissioner Chris Nissen, before a meeting was held to discuss how to assist the homeless in the area.