/ 18 February 2011

Dead baby found at Oprah school

The body of a newborn baby was found at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls after a 17-year-old gave birth to it on Wednesday, Gauteng police said.

Police could not confirm if the baby had been murdered or died of natural causes, Captain Shado Mashobane said.

“Yes the girl gave birth to the baby at the school, but we can’t confirm what happened to it. A case of concealment of death is being investigated,” he said.

The 17-year-old girl, who was a pupil at the school just outside Johannesburg, was taken to the Midvaal Hospital in Meyerton.

Beeld on Friday reported that the baby’s body was found in a plastic bag filled with bloodied clothes after the girl was taken to hospital.

Mashobane said he could not confirm the reports.

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls could not be immediately reached for comment. — Sapa